Deep Blue
by TerraRune
Summary: This is your average mermaid story, with a few twists and alterations. And it all started with a death, and a discovery. Whether you read about it or not is up to you. AU Mermaid!Magnus and Human!Alec. Rating may change. HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1-Prologue

**Hey, look! T's gonna write another story! How excited are you? *cricket noises* Okay, not that excited. I gets it. Oh well. Okay, so here's how it's gonna go down: as of right now, this story has only an itty bitty amount of plot to it. I'm hoping that's going to change as this story goes on. Hope you enjoy! Also, the summery is utter crap. Dealz with it. **

**DISCLAIMER:: Don't own the characters that are mentioned in the chapter. None whatsoever. Nopie nopie nope. **

* * *

It had been a beautiful day, even though at about noon it was at least 100 degrees – one of the things Alec hates most about their little Florida town. Alec had spent the whole day with Max, something they rarely got to do, just the two of them. Alec had to admit, he really had fun. They had gone to a comic book store, then went to the movies, and afterwards went out for ice cream and came to where they are now: the beach about a mile away from their house, and sat down on the small dock away from the people. It was a secret dock, one that Alec had found a few years back. It was at the very end of the beach, and hidden within tall grass. The only people who ever really used it were Alec, his siblings, and Jace – Alec's next-door-neighbor and best friend of seven years.

Alec leaned back on his hands, relaxed and enjoying himself, and watched his younger brother swing his legs back and forth. It was hot, even though the sun was going down. There were kids about a mile up the beach playing in the water, trying to soak up the last of the sun before dark. Alec and Max had just finished their ice cream cones, and were now just sitting and enjoying tranquil waves of the dark blue ocean that eventually gave way to a pink and orange sky.

"Hey, Alec?" Max asked, breaking the moment of comfortable silence between the two.

"Yeah?" Alec answered.

Max turned his head to him, his round grey eyes blinking up at him from behind his large glasses. "What happened to that guy that used to come over all the time for Isabelle?"

Alec paused. He didn't really know if he should answer this or not, considering it was not a very pretty story. "You mean Sebastian?" Max nodded.

Sebastian Verlac moved to their little Florida town at the beginning of the summer. He seemed to fixate on Isabelle – Alec's younger sister – immediately. Everywhere they went, he seemed to follow, and eventually she finally said yes to his incessant plea to go out with him. They hung out a lot after that, at the beach, mostly. He even gave her this beautiful solid black conch shell necklace. At first, Alec thought it was just painted black, but upon further inspection, it was the actual color.

After about two weeks, Isabelle came to Alec and told him she didn't think she and Sebastian were working out anymore. Something just…wasn't right. But when she had tried breaking up with him, and he became really hostile, yelling and pacing. Alec was just returning home from the gym with Jace when he saw them in the yard, and he instantly went to get Sebastian away from his sister. Necklace in hand, Sebastian reluctantly left, giving Alec a long hard glare as he did so.

"Uhm," Alec said now. "They broke up."

"Why?"

Alec shook his head. "He wasn't very nice, and she didn't like him as much as she thought she did."

Max pondered this, then shrugged and looked back out into the water. Suddenly he jumped to his feet and pointed to the water. "Did you see that?" he yelled. "Something jumped in the water!" He pointed to a rather large ripple traveling towards them. "It looked like a fish, but it was purple."

"Purple, huh?" Alec peered at the water with interest as Max sat back down. He glanced sideways at his brother with a smile. "You know, there are mermaids that live in these waters."

Max looked dubious. "Nuh-uh."

Alec raised his hands in mock surrender. "Honest. Hodge told me so." Hodge Starkweather was their caretaker. Native to Florida, he was hired when the Lightwood family moved here from New York eight years ago, when Max was only a baby. Robert and Maryse Lightwood, Alec's parents, traveled a lot for their work (they were real estate agents for some big company, and it required them to travel all over the U.S.), therefore they had to have a caretaker. Hodge was always telling them stories about different creatures that lived in the deep, and mermaids were his latest. "He said they live just off the coast of _this_ _very_ beach. They come up every once in a while to enjoy human life."

"So they have legs?"

"Yep. You can't even tell; they look so much like us. Hodge said the only way to tell if you are in the presence of a mermaid is if they have a conch shell around their neck…" He trailed off. "Kind of like the one Sebastian gave Isabelle." A pause. "Funny coincidence, isn't' it?" Thinking back, Hodge did act a little strangely around Sebastian, and Sebastian didn't seem too crazy about Hodge.

"Do you think Sebastian's a merman?" Max looked mystified.

"No, I don't think so. A squid maybe, but not a mermaid."

Max looked back out into the water. He gave a decisive nod. "That was what I saw. It was a mermaid. Or merman," he added. Alec raised his eyebrows at him, but his gaze didn't falter.

Alec chuckled. "Alright. It's dark, let's go home." They both stood, dusting off their clothes.

Something splashed under the water right below them, drawing their attention. Then a hand broke the surface of the water, wrapping itself around Max's arm and tugging him downward. Max let out a little shriek before the water silenced him. Alec stood in shock for a moment, unsure of what had just happened, unsure of what to do. "Max!" he yelled, and then he practically ripped his shirt off, dropping it on the dock before jumping in.

Only after did it occur to him he couldn't swim.

It was dark. The saltwater stung Alec's eyes as he looked around the blackness. He tried to move his arms, but was getting absolutely nowhere. He knew the water was shallow here, but he couldn't find the bottom with his feet. He thrashed his arms and legs, trying to get to his brother, trying to get anywhere at all. The lack of oxygen was getting to him, pressing on his lungs with the force of an elephant. Eventually he could not take it, and breathed in through his nose. Water invaded his body, and he tried to get back to the surface. His arms still wouldn't move. More darkness was overwhelming his vision. He thought he saw something swim past, and then he felt strong arms around him, pulling him to the surface.

That was when the darkness engulfed him completely.

* * *

Alec was cold. He could feel himself shivering. He wanted to open his eyes, but couldn't find the strength. There was a dull noise in his ears, but Alec couldn't make out what it was. Something was pressing on his chest, slapping at his face, trying to get his eyes to open. It pushed on his chest again, and it was like a dam broke inside Alec's body. He felt water come back up through his throat and out his mouth and nose. He turned on his side, coughing and sputtering. Water flowed out of his ears as well, and finally he could hear the noise clearly. In fact, it was a voice.

_I'm so sorry. I couldn't save him. I'm so sorry._

* * *

Alec finally convinced himself to go back to that dock about two weeks, settling an argument between him and his sister. She had probably wanted to go with him, so they could be together, but Alec preferred to do this alone.

Someone down the beach had heard the screaming that night, and had called the police. By the time they came, Alec knew his brother was gone, and he was never coming back. Jace had seen the lights from his house, and he came and took Alec back home after the paramedics checked him over. On the way home Robert and Maryse Lightwood came racing by them, not even looking at Alec, eyes fixated on the dock. Alec was sitting on the couch with Isabelle when they came in, Maryse's face red and puffy from crying. Robert's arm was around her, his stance ragged. Alec looked at his parents, and immediately saw two completely different people than he was used to seeing. He looked up at his father, who gave a small shake of his head. Isabelle threw her arms around Alec and sobbed, triggering their mother's tears once again.

Alec shook his head to get that memory out. He didn't want to think about it, didn't even want to be here right now. But he couldn't stop thinking about right before the police got there, when he was mysteriously saved. He was sure no one had been near when Max fell; no one had even been looking. He remembered the voice. It was a man's voice, deep and slow and…beautiful. It was also full of sorrow and regret..

He was so wrapped up in thought he didn't hear his best friend come up behind him until he cleared his throat. Alec jumped and turned. Jace's eyes, which usually twinkled with mischief, were full of sadness. "I'm very sorry, Alec." Alec didn't answer, just turned back toward the water, not wanting to talk about it. But Jace was persistent. "Come on. Don't ignore me, I want to help."

"How could you help me?" Alec asked, but the words came out harsher than he actually meant them to.

This time Jace didn't answer; only looked out into the distance, where the water met the sky. Alec looked down. Something was floating in the water, and the sun reflected off it, catching Alec in the eye. He blinked and bent down, reaching into the water and pulling it out. It was a conch shell, on the end of a thin black leather rope. Alec palmed it in his hand for a moment or two. Jace looked over his shoulder at it, puzzled. It looked like a normal conch, one that you find out on the beach or at a novelty store. But here is the thing: it was purple. It looked almost identical to the one Sebastian had, aside from the color.

The iridescent conch shimmered in the sunlight, almost putting Alec in a trance. There was something special about it, but he couldn't figure out what. All he knew is that he was drawn to it in a way that he could not explain. _Put me on_, it seemed to say. _Put me on._ Taking both ends of the leather, he tied the conch around his neck. The shell rested perfectly just below his collarbone, like it was made for him.

Jace watched his actions with an eyebrow raised, but he didn't say anything. Alec did not know what possessed him to put the necklace on, but he did know he was not about to take it off anytime soon.

* * *

**Review? Pretty please? **


	2. Chapter 2

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! OMG I'M BACK GUYS DID YOU MISS ME? ****DID YOU MIss me... yeah. i don't know. **

**So anyway, this chapter... yo no sé (for those of you who don't speak spanish, that means I don't know.) I worked all day today to do it, because I was sick over the weekend and I couldn't write, and I had a lot of homework last week... but now i'm on Spring Break, so maybe I can get shit done. That is a very strong maybe, however. **

**I'm very sorry, for those of you who don't like the chapter (I don't blame you, I don't like it either, I think it's slow.) The story should speed up after this (hopefully). I'm really hoping, guys, seriously. For realz. Okay, I'm rambling, on with the good stuff. **

**Except now its time for...**

**THE DISCLAMIER::::::: Don't own any characters that are in this chapter. none. They are just my Barbie dolls. (If you wanna hear a gross story about my 8th grade science teacher and Barbie dolls, shoot me a review and I'll PM you back with it) XD**

* * *

Jace was sprawled out on Alec's bed, flipping through some magazine that suspiciously had a twenty-something-year-old girl in a bikini on it, and trying to convince his best friend to go out with him and Isabelle – and Isabelle's new boy-toy, Simon. Alec sat at his desk finishing the last assignment that was due before school let out for summer vacation at the end of the week. He was also making every excuse in the world to get out of hanging out with them, which ranged from having too much to do ("You're on the last paragraph, Alec.") to not wanting to watch his sister swap spit with some nerd at their school. ("I know, I know, I don't like him either. He looks too much like a rat for my taste. But it's not like they're going to have sex on the beach right there in front of us. And besides, you won't even see him next year. NYU, remember?")

Finally, Alec had just had enough excuses. "I'm not going back to that beach, Jace!" he yelled.

Jace put the magazine down slowly and raised his eyebrows at Alec, whose chest was rising and falling rapidly from his assertion. "Okay," he said, "I know what this is about." He got up from the bed and went over to Alec. "Let me know if you change your mind." Alec didn't turn around. Jace took the hint and slipped out of Alec's bedroom.

Alec leaned back in his desk chair and sighed. It wasn't as if he _liked_ blowing Jace and his sister off, but he made a vow to never set foot on that beach again. He sighed once again, louder this time, and looked around his room.

Everything was solid black: his walls; his bedspread and pillows; his curtains, which hung in his bay window and were always closed because his window overlooked the beach…and the dock… There was rarely any light in Alec's room, aside from the lamp on the nightstand beside his bed, and the tiny strip of sunlight that slipped under the curtains during the day. Even Alec's clothes were black; usually, but it was hard to wear black in the summer in Florida. The only thing that really stood out about Alec's appearance was the shiny purple conch shell he wore around his neck.

Alec rarely ever took it off. If he did, it felt like he was ripping a piece of his soul out and stomping on it. Repeatedly. So no, Alec never took it off, and no on ever said anything about it, mainly because they never see it. It was small, and could easily be hidden under his shirt. Occasionally he will unconsciously bring his hand up to touch it, for assurance. Jace thinks he is developing an unhealthy attachment to it, but that is all he says on the matter. Alec couldn't really explain _why_ he wore the necklace, but he hoped he might soon.

He closed his eyes for a moment, leaned his head back, and took a deep, restorative breath. After a few moments of peace, he felt something vibrating against his skin, and thought he could see something…_glowing_ behind his eyelids. He opened them and looked down, seeing the conch light his darkish room with a purple glow, and he almost dropped it in surprise. A small gasp escaped him as he gazed at it, almost in a trance. It shone bright, like a glittery purple sun, pulsing in his hand and hypnotizing him. A shimmer at the bottom of the shell caught his eye. Turning it, he found there was a letter etched into the shell.

_M_.

* * *

Simon was walking along the private beach that was close to Isabelle's house. It was the spot where they were supposed to meet, and Simon was a little nervous, so naturally he shows up an hour early. He really liked Isabelle; she was the most beautiful girl at their high school, St. Raziel's. Every guy practically fell over her when she walked down the hall. Simon thought his chances were over with her when Sebastian Verlac came to town last summer. Then Sebastian turned out to be a jerk, and Simon finally got his chance with Isabelle, even though it took almost a year after that for her to notice him. But still, Simon would take anything he could get.

He walked to the end of the beach and found a dock, hidden in tall yellow grass and could only be discovered if someone was looking for it. He sat down at the edge, his legs dangling off and toes almost touching the water. He could see little fish swimming around below him. "Hey," he said to them, "you come here often?" He blinked. Was he really considering practicing pickup lines on _fish_? Is this what his life had become?

They swam around, oblivious of him. He rolled his eyes. "Okay. Since you guys are so good at listening, how about this one?" He cleared his throat and pictured Isabelle in front of him. "So, Isabelle. Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" He cleared his throat again to try another one. This time he flicked imaginary hair out of his eyes, putting on his best suave look. "Hey Isabelle. Are you from Tennessee? 'Cause you're the only ten I see." He groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I am so not good at this."

"I agree," said a voice from below him.

Startled, Simon jumped up just as he laid eyes on a girl in the water. Her fiery red hair flowed out from her head; small curls floating in the water. Her eyes, green as spring grass, looked up at him in amusement, and a smile played on her lips. She didn't appear to be wearing a swimsuit; the only thing Simon could see was a thin leather rope around her neck. There might be something on it, but it was indistinguishable to Simon in the blue water. She swam closer to him, and he was enticed with her beauty, almost forgetting about Isabelle. He kneeled down on the edge of the dock just as she reached it. Putting her forearms just in front of him, she hoisted herself up, but didn't get up on the dock. She grinned up at him. Simon could now see the object around her neck: it was a small green conch shell. It shone in the sunlight.

"Uhm," he said, "hi."

She laughed musically. "Please, don't do anymore pickup lines. No offense, but you aren't good."

Another head surfaced a few feet behind her. It was a man, with black hair and caramel-colored skin. He stared at them, his face impassive. It was starting to freak Simon out a little, and then he met the girl's eyes again and everything was right in the world. "O-okay."

"Listen," she said softly, melodically. "We need your help."

He heard something swish under the water beneath her. He tore his gaze away from her eyes long enough to see something green move in the clear water. A second later, he saw a tail, almost like a…mermaid tail. He shook his head, trying to get the thought out. That was silly; mermaids don't exist. "What was that?" he asked.

Then, the man that had been behind the girl reappeared next to her, causing Simon to jump back in surprise. "Weren't you just –?"

"We should tell him," said the redheaded girl. "That's the only way he can help us."

"As long as he is the only one," said the man, in a deep and cautionary tone. "Remember what your father said."

They both turned their eyes back to him, and the playfulness in the girl's look was gone, replaced by the impassiveness of the man's. Without warning, they both reached out and grabbed him by the ankles, pulling him into the water.

* * *

Simon brought the coffee cup to his lips, unable to speak. His eyes were wide, he was sure, and they were darting around the small café they were seated in, unable to look his companions in the eye. His knee was bouncing up and down under the table. He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt with the hand that wasn't holding coffee.

Upon being almost drowned, he learned the two people that had approached him at the dock had tails attached to their bodies. Not just any tails, like a monkey or a dragon, no. They had _fish_ tails. As in, _they were fish_. Well, half fish, as they later explained to him when they had revived him on the beach about five minutes after they tried to _drown_ him. (In the end, Simon was only really worried about the fact that they almost killed him. And the fact that after they revived him, he realized they had legs. And were naked. On a beach. With people around.)

After Simon had calmed down, they told him they were, indeed, _mermaids_ – and they need his help. After a good long moment to think, and after incessant pleading on the mermaids' part, Simon agreed to help them. But first, they all needed clothes.

They followed him to his house. The man borrowed some clothes from him and the girl took some of his sister's (who was in college, and would not notice), and then they went to a small coffee shop/café where they could talk. They sat down in a corner table with no one around, and the girl told her tale. (Pun not intended.)

"My name is Clarissa Morgenstern," she said. "But you may call me Clary. And this is Magnus Bane." She gestured to the tall man beside her. "I am the princess of Alicante, and he is my Guard."

"Alicante," Simon repeated, taking another sip of his coffee. "Right, so that's your mermaid kingdom?"

Clary nodded. "Yes. We have been sent here to find my brother, Jonathon. He disappeared about a year ago, and he is the heir to the throne. It is imperative we find him soon; his coronation is at the end of the summer. Land is the only place we have not checked."

"Right." Simon nodded, processing this information that has been thrust at him. "Well, I think you have time to find him. Why do you need my help?"

She glanced at Magnus. "We have to find him very soon, and we don't know our way around the area, because this is our first time on land. If he is here, he can't stay any longer than about a week."

"But, you said his coronation isn't until the end –"

"Land…" she interrupted, but then trailed off. "It does things to mermaids that haven't – ow!" She cast a resentful glance at Magnus. "I am pretty sure it is against the Law to stomp on the princess's toes."

"There is nothing in the Law about it," said Magnus. "The princess of Alicante isn't really supposed to have toes." He then whispered something in her ear. Simon could only catch, "and he is not yours, so you cannot tell him. That _is_ part of the Law."

"How do you know that?" Clary whispered back, louder. "He could be." Magnus pointed to the conch shell around her neck, as if that explained everything. Well, as far as Simon knew, it could. Clary rolled her eyes. "Anyway, if we do not find him soon, he will turn Endarkened, and we cannot have a member of the Royal Family Endarkened."

Simon was so confused. "And Endarkened is…?"

Clary looked uncomfortable. "The Endarkened are…corrupted mermaids. They are the ones that have been on land too long without…" She glanced at Magnus again. "Doing something important first. If Jonathon has been on land this long, he doesn't stand a chance against the Endarkening Force. We have to find him before that happens."

"What happens if that happens?"

Magnus and Clary shared a look. "Bad things," said Magnus.

Simon paused for a moment, thinking. "Alright," he said at last. "I'll help you find your brother. But only because you asked so nicely."

Clary smiled. "Thank you…"

"Simon."

"Thank you, Simon. We, as well as the Kingdom of Alicante, will forever be in your debt." Magnus didn't look pleased by that idea.

* * *

_I don't want to do this; I don't want to do this_. The sentence was on repeat in his head, like a chant.

Alec followed his sister and best friend as they made their way towards the coffee shop where Simon had told them to meet him. He did not want to go with them; he wanted to explore why his conch shell had mysteriously started glowing. But no, his sister had to go and make him feel guilty about not joining them. So now there he was, about to endure two hours of the Simon and Izzy Make-Out Fest.

Simon was waiting outside the shop when they approached. Isabelle practically ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. Alec wanted to vomit. Jace gagged.

There were two other people standing with Simon, a boy and a girl. The boy was considerably taller than the girl, and had black hair that spiked up. He had caramel-colored skin, and when he looked at Alec, his eyes sparkled. Alec gasped when he felt a familiar vibration against his collarbone, and he knew the conch was most likely glowing. Hopefully, no one could see under his solid-black t-shirt.

There was a flash of green somewhere in Alec's peripheral vision, but he couldn't care less, looking at this man and having him look back. The man was beautiful, and Alec couldn't look away. The small girl with red hair put a hand on the guy's arm, tearing his attention away from Alec. He could see the guy's annoyed expression, and he almost blushed. He felt a nudge to his side. "Do you see that girl?" Jace whispered. Yes, Alec did see her, as she was taking the man's attention away.

Jace and Alec drew nearer, and Alec could feel the man's attention on him once more. When Alec looked at him again, the man's eyes were on his collarbone. He self-consciously put his hand on the conch necklace. The man smirked, and Alec inadvertently shivered. They stared at each other –Jace and the girl, and Alec at the boy – while Isabelle and Simon were not so quietly kissing beside them. They all looked at the couple with eyebrows raised. Simon was the first to notice, and break away from Isabelle. "Uhm," he said, his cheeks flushed from the mini make-out.

Izzy stuck her hand out towards the girl. "Isabelle Lightwood," she announced.

The girl looked at her hand, almost as if she were unsure of what to do in this situation. "Clary Morgenstern," she said at last, still looking at Isabelle's outstretched hand. Gingerly, Izzy pulled back and looked at the man.

"Magnus Bane," he said. Alec was then treated to sparkling gold-green eyes that he knew he couldn't look away from if he tried. He swallowed.

It took him a minute to notice everyone's eyes were now on _him_. "Uh," he said, flustered. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Alec Lightwood."

"My brother," Isabelle finished. Her eyes flicked to Jace. "That drooling mess over there is Jace, our neighbor."

Jace recovered his cool. "Jace Herondale," he said, and flicked his hair out of his eyes. Clary raised an eyebrow at him.

There was a quiet moment, one that was ruined by Simon. "Well, as much fun as this was… We had better go. They need to get to their…uncle! Yes, their uncle, Hodge."

"Hodge Starkweather?" Isabelle asked.

Clary's eyes lit up. "Yes. Do you know him?"

Izzy smiled. "He's our caretaker. We know where he lives. We can take you there. Do you have any luggage?"

"No," Simon said, very quickly. "Nope, no luggage." He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

Isabelle looked at him. "Right…" She held out a hand for Simon to take, and they started down the sidewalk towards the neighborhood where Hodge lived. Clary followed, giving one last look at Jace before she went. Magnus didn't move for a moment, his gaze still on Alec. Alec looked back at him. Jace looked between the two of them, eyebrows raised.

After a minute, Magnus started to move, following after his friend. Jace and Alec hung back, waiting for them to get out of earshot, and then Jace said, "Wow."

Alec nodded. "Yeah." He put a hand on his conch, which had stopped its vibrations when Magnus turned to leave. He took it out to examine it. It wasn't glowing; it looked normal, just as the day he found it. It had started when he first laid eyes on Magnus… did he have something to do with it?

Alec shook his head. The whole thing was his imagination, surely. Wasn't it?

* * *

**Again, shoot me a review, and i'll give you the Barbie story. But not if you don't want it. **

**So, did you like the chapter? i didn't. I hope you did, though. Of course, I always hope that. **

**You guys, I love you so much. All of you are so sweet. I got 8 (!) whole reviews for the last one and that was just the slow-ass prologue. Can't wait to see what you say about this one! THANKS FOR READING! REVIEW! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry. My update schedule is crap. My writing is crap. I'm just a crappy person. **

**On a slightly lighter note: I UPDATED AGAIN! I have decided that I don't like the pace of the story, but if you want more than five chapters, I will just have to live with it. It might not be a...long story, but I don't know. It just depends on how other chapters kinda...unfold! That's the word! I couldn't think of it there for a moment. **

**DISCLAIMER: The characters. Ya, they belong to the great and powerful Cassandra Clare, who is da best author in da world. No one can write like her; not Susanne Collins (sorry if you like her.) Not Veronica Roth (not sure if I spelled her name right; sorry if you like her - but seriously tho, killing Tris? Was that wise?) and DEFINITELY NOT E.L James. Sorry. But yeah. I'm very opinionated. **

* * *

"He didn't recognize me," Magnus muttered. "I thought for sure he would. Look at this." He brought his hand up, gesturing to his body. "How could he not remember this?" He looked around the small neighborhood they were walking in. Everything was so different than Alicante, the first being that they were on land. The sun was shining, bearing down on the back of Magnus's neck. This, he reminded himself, was why he never surfaced during the day.

Clary shrugged. "Maybe he just did not recognize you in human form. I don't know, Magnus," she added when she saw Magnus's pensive expression. "The only thing I'm focused on right now is getting to Hodge and finding shelter." Her gaze turned dreamy. "And my _cymar_." She looked over her shoulder, but no one was following, and their companions were a few feet ahead of them, out of earshot.

Magnus rolled his eyes; still not believing her conch had lit up at the sight of the blond idiot that had shown up along with Alec. "What do you think we are talking about, Your Highness?"

"Shh!" Clary clamped her hand over Magnus's mouth – or tried to, as Magnus was about a foot taller. He chuckled at her attempt; it was cute.

"Is everything okay?" The girl called Isabelle called over her shoulder. She and Sherman – or was it Sean? Or Salmon? – were hand in hand, and were paused, waiting for Clary and Magnus to catch up.

"Yes," called Clary, "everything is fine!" Sylvester didn't look so convinced, pushing his glasses up and turning back to his girlfriend. Clary cast a displeased look at her Guard. "They cannot know I am a princess! That will draw unwanted attention. Father said I couldn't tell any more people than absolutely necessary."

Magnus paused a moment. "Tell people that you are a mermaid? Or a princess?"

"Both," she said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, he had your conch, and he knew it was glowing. I could see his face." She put a hand up to the green shell resting just below her collarbone. When a mermaid (or merman, of course) is born, they are given a conch shell to match their tails. All conchs were the same size, but not the same color. Every mermaid has their own conch to give to their _cymars _when they find them. Now, Magnus was starting to think he might've given his away too early. He doesn't even _know_ his _cymar_ yet.

"You would think he would remember my voice," Magnus muttered.

"But, Magnus," said Clary, "you didn't talk the whole time we were there, except to whisper to me."

"That's not true," he argued. "I said my name when I was introducing myself."

"But that was the only thing you said. How could he have recognized your voice?" The young princess did have a point, Magnus decided.

He stumbled, tripping on his new shoes for what felt like the fifth time in a row. He blew out an annoyed breath. "I hate these things." He paused, bending down and taking of the shoes – "flip-flops," Sherman called them – one by one, using Clary's shoulder as support. Once the wretched things were in his hand, he drew his arm back and threw them as far as he could. They went in a small green yard across what he now understood to be a road, hitting a small house with the name _JACK_ on the front.

A noise erupted from the house: a sort of growl, and then a rough staccato sound. Magnus looked at Clary with his eyebrows raised. Clary stared back at him. They both looked at the small house. Out of it came a large black and brown beast, hurtling in their direction with its large yellow teeth bared in a menacing fashion. Instinctively Magnus stepped in front of the princess, putting an arm out to protect her. The beast stopped short because a white fence blocked its way. It put its two front feet up on the fence, exposing its pink stomach. Head tipped back, it began to make the unearthly staccato sound they had heard before in the back of its throat. Magnus did not have his spear with him, and wished very hard he did. This thing was obviously a danger, and should be killed immediately.

Shoal ran up to them, grabbing Clary's hand and pulling her along behind him, muttering something like "It's just a dog." Magnus stared at the creature. Dog? What kind of name was that?

"Magnus!" Clary called. Magnus hesitantly followed.

The ground felt weird on his newly developed feet. It was hot and hard and scratchy. Magnus began walking slower, hoping to ease the pain. Then something became lodged in his heel. With a yelp, he lifted his foot to examine it, but ended up falling on the ground, having not experimented with balance yet. A sharp pain shot up from Magnus's rear and into his lower back. He grunted as he pulled his foot up, picking the sharp grey object out of his foot and flinging it away. That was it, he decided. Land was absolutely not worth the trouble, what with his _cymar_ not recognizing him, the awful creatures that roamed around, and the way the stupid ground wants to burn the life out of his new legs. If it weren't for Alec– and the missing prince, of course – Magnus would not be here at all.

"How much farther?" He complained, straggling behind the others.

Isabelle gave a musical laugh, flipping her long black hair behind her shoulder. "Just another block."

Magnus wrinkled his nose. Dog? Block? Who named these objects, and what was their problem?

* * *

Jace hardly ever spoke to Alec as they walked back to his house. Not that Alec minded, of course. He liked the silence; it gave him time to think, mainly about what the hell happened back there with his sister and Simon. And the new people.

He could not get the guy – Magnus, he reminded himself – out of his head. The way his beautiful gold-green eyes traveled up and down Alec's body, as if he could see Alec's soul; his smile, the smile that gave Alec goosebumps just thinking about it…

Alec shook his head abruptly, causing Jace to turn his head towards him. "What is it?"

"Nothing."

After a moment, they came to Alec's huge grey Victorian house. It stuck out a bit against the rest of the houses, which were smallish and all different colors and had green grass. His house was more like the house he saw in a cartoon movie he watched with Max once: all dark and ominous with dead grass, next to brightly colored perky houses with friendly neighbors mowing the lawn and working out the carpool arrangement. Alec wished he lived in one of those houses, instead of the tall and almost always empty house he lives in now. His parents were always out; traveling for the job they care about more than their own children. Today was Sunday, so the neighborhood was quiet as Alec turned the key in the lock. He walked in, Jace on his heels, and headed straight into the living room, where he collapsed in a red leather armchair next to the matching sofa and turned on the television, trying to drown out his thoughts with mindless TV shows.

Jace flopped down face-first on the sofa and groaned. Alec continued to watch the TV. Jace turned over on his back and groaned again, louder. Alec gazed lazily over at him. "Can I help you?"

Jace raised his eyebrows. "Oh, are we Sassy-Alec all of a sudden?"

Alec rolled his eyes at the nickname, but didn't answer. Jace grabbed the back of the couch and pulled himself into a sitting position. They sat like that for a while, watching the television, unblinking and unmoving, as if it were a holy shrine that they were worshipping – without the kneeling and human sacrifices part. Alec didn't like lulls in conversation; they made him feel uncomfortable. His fingers started picking at the hem of his t-shirt. His hand then worked its way up, and found the conch necklace. His fingers closed around it, feeling the familiar grooves and curve of the shell, and it comforted him. He saw Jace's golden eyes glance at him out of his peripheral vision, but he never moved his hand.

Alec pulled the shell out from under his shirt and examined it. It still looked the same: solid purple that glittered and gleamed in the light. It looked like any other conch shell. His fingertips traced it, and found the letter, _M_, etched into it that he had discovered this morning.

_M. _

_Magnus. _

No, no, no. It's just a coincidence, he chided himself. There is no way his shell and that person could be related. Just a coincidence.

But a little nagging in the back of his head told him it wasn't a coincidence, and he found himself wanting to believe it.

He thought about the new people he'd met today. He hadn't wanted to go to the meeting, that much was clear, but now he was glad he did. He thought about the girl – what was her name? He wasn't really paying attention to her. But Jace sure was. Looking over at his best friend, he could tell that Jace's thoughts were obviously on the girl, too. Alec found himself feeling sorry for the girl; she was going to get her heart broken in the near future. Because that is what Jace does: he strings girls along, makes them think they have something special when really he was only using them for sex, and then he dumps them. He had seen this countless times with Jace, and with his sister – only, it was guys with his sister, not girls.

"So, what did you think of Magnus?" Jace asked, pulling Alec from his thoughts.

"Uh…" Alec wasn't sure what to say. What _did_ he think of Magnus? He was hot, that's what he thought, with those beautiful eyes and perfect caramel-colored skin, and nice body… But he couldn't tell Jace any of that. Jace didn't even know Alec _liked _boys, and Alec planned to keep it that way for as long as possible. "I don't know, he was…cool, I guess."

Jace snorted. "Come on, Alec."

"What?"

Jace scooted to the side of the sofa closest to Alec, resting his elbow on the arm and gave him a knowing look that made Alec even more uncomfortable than silence. Alec squirmed under his gaze, purposefully avoiding his eyes. Jace finally gave up. "Fine. Don't tell me. I'm just going to have to admit something: I know you're gay."

Alec froze. "Please, don't – "

"Don't worry. You're my best friend, I won't tell a living soul. Not anyone. At all." He dragged his thumb and forefinger over his lips to symbolize a zipper being zipped shut.

"Thanks Jace."

Jace smiled. "You're welcome."

* * *

Simon's hand was sweaty. He wondered if Isabelle noticed. Then again, if she had noticed, she would've pulled away by now. But she hadn't, so that's a good thing, right? Maybe it meant she wanted to hold his hand and be close to him no matter what. Or maybe, it meant she was jealous of Clary, who had shown up with Simon, and she wanted to stake her claim on him. Or maybe, he was delving way too deep into her just holding his hand, because she was his girlfriend. At least…he thought so, anyway. They haven't exactly DTRed, whatever the hell that meant.

He shook his head looked over his shoulder at the two walking behind him. They were both looking around, eyes bright with wonder. Simon wondered what they were seeing; all he was seeing was a few houses with yards and a sidewalk and a road. That's all he'd ever seen. They were mermaids, however, and they had never seen crosswalks and streets and possibly even houses. He looked at Clary. Even in his sister's old t-shirt and basketball shorts and old converse, she still managed to look very pretty. Her red hair bounced as she walked next to the guy, Magnus, who was taller than Simon by a few inches. Simon's clothes were a little small on him, and Simon noticed that the flip flips he'd given Magnus had disappeared, and he was now walking along the sidewalk barefoot. He looked like he was in pain, but was trying to hide it.

"Almost there," Isabelle called back to them. She glanced at Simon. "How do you know them again?" she asked quietly, so they didn't hear her.

"Iz…" he trailed off. He desperately wanted to tell her the truth. "I met Clary…at the camp I went to last year. You know, that archery camp?"

Isabelle's eyebrows rose, and Simon knew his story was not plausible at all. "You met her at archery camp?" She glanced quickly back at Clary. "She doesn't look like a girl who's good with a bow. Then again, you don't either."

"Hey," Simon reproached.

"Oh, you know what I mean." She looked forward, and pointed to a house about 50 feet away from them. "There it is," she called.

The house was in the middle of other houses, grey, mostly inconspicuous among the others. Well, Simon reasoned, if you were a mermaid on land, you kind of want to be inconspicuous. Isabelle led them up the steps to the front porch and rang the doorbell. She looked from Simon to Clary to Magnus, her eyes lingering on Clary for a moment. "Will you guys be alright?"

Simon nodded. "Oh yeah. I'm not going to stay long; just to drop them off and…make sure they're okay." He cleared his throat, trying to seem nonchalant but epically failing at it. Clary could tell, because she giggled quietly. Simon prayed Isabelle didn't hear.

Isabelle smiled, which made Simon even more nervous. "Okay then. I'm going home." She leaned up, grabbed Simon's face with her hands and smashed their lips together. Simon flailed for a moment, before finally relaxing and putting his arms around her waist. The kiss lasted pretty long, in Simon's opinion (not that he was complaining, of course). Then Isabelle broke away about as abruptly as she'd kissed him. "See you later." She made her way down the steps, casting a glance at Clary and Magnus. "Nice to meet you guys!"

"You too!" Clary called back. She looked at Simon. "This is so refreshing," she said in a bubbly voice.

"What is?" Simon asked.

"Not having everyone bow before me," she said.

The door opened then, revealing a middle-aged man with greying hair and glasses. His gray eyes went wide at the sight of Clary, and he quickly got down on his knees and bowed his head, putting his hands above his head, palms on the floor. "Your Highness," he murmured.

Clary stood up straighter all of a sudden, assuming a regal authority that surprised Simon. He did not think her capable of looking so formal. Magnus straightened himself as well, standing behind Clary with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down on Hodge just like Clary, as if he were a peasant. Well, he could've been, to them. "This is what I mean," Clary muttered to Simon. "You may rise, Hodge."

Hodge did as he was told, but his eyes would never meet Clary's or Magnus's eyes. "I am aware of your predicament, and I regret to inform you that I have not seen His Highness." Clary seemed to deflate at that sentence. "However, you are welcome to stay here if you like. I have some extra guest bedrooms… But you may have whatever you like," he added quickly.

Clary smiled. "Thank you very much. I will be sure to inform my father and mother of what a great help you have been."

Hodge gave a humble smile before moving aside to let them through. Clary went first, followed by Magnus. Simon was about to go after them when an arm was put in front of him. He looked at Hodge, who was glaring at him. "It's alright," Clary said. "He is with us."

Hodge narrowed his eyes at Simon. "Aren't you that boy that Isabelle is dating?"

Simon nodded rapidly, a little pleased to be recognized. "Yes."

Reluctantly, Hodge removed his arm and allowed him through.

* * *

Magnus watched as the human took a seat on the couch. He looked around the room. It had white walls, which were bare, and white floors made of something Magnus wasn't familiar with. It was cold, as opposed to outside, which was burning hot. Magnus found himself shivering as he sat down gingerly on the other end of the couch. Clary followed him, sitting down between them. They all looked at Hodge, looking for guidance. Hodge came away from the door and was now standing in the middle of the room, looking awkward. Magnus drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch, bored. It was completely silent in the room.

Sylvester cleared his throat. "So, uh… What now?"

"Do you have any plans on how we can find him?" Clary asked. "My brother? Everyone in Alicante is worried, especially my parents." Her hand went to her conch shell, as everyone's did when they were nervous. Magnus wanted to, but his was currently with his _cymar_. He expected Hodge's hand to find its way there in a moment.

Hodge shook his head. "I don't have a plan, as of yet."

"How do you know he's even here?" Salmon asked. "He could be in…China, right now."

"I doubt he could swim all the way to China," Magnus said. "He'll want to stay close to home if he is on land. It is just in his nature, as in any merfolk."

As suspected, Hodge's hand went to his collarbone, pulling out his black and white conch shell and rubbing it. Based on his age, Hodge must not have a _cymar_, considering the cut-off age for both people is eighteen. Magnus did not want to think of that right now, though. It was too sad.

Out of the corner of his eye, Magnus saw Sherman inspect Hodge's conch with narrowed eyes. "Why is yours two colors?" he asked. Magnus rolled his eyes. Once again, the human was asking too many useless and unnecessary questions. Magnus knew he was just trying to understand the merfolk way of life, but if his _cymar _wasn't a mermaid then he didn't need to know.

"He is a townsperson," Clary explained. "Therefore, he has a multicolored tail, and a mermaid or merman is given a conch shell that matches their tail when they are born. Only members of the Royal Family have a solid-colored tail."

Now Soames looked more confused. "Uh, okay."

"Your Highness, if I may, how did you get the Clave to allow you to go on land?" Hodge asked.

"Because I – "

"Wait, Clave?" Sean asked now.

Magnus rolled his eyes angrily. "Must you question everything we say?" he snapped.

Clary gave him a look. "Don't be rude." She turned back to the questioning human. "The Clave is another branch of the Royal Family. There are three branches," she said before the human could open his mouth to ask another question. "The Ruling branch: that is my family – me, my parents, and my brother. The Royal Guard branch: that is Magnus, and his family and ancestors. They are the official guards of the royal family, and have been for thousands of years. And then the Clave branch: that is a bit like the government here, meaning they make decisions, but the King has the final say. The Clave is the Consul, Jia, and her family. Is this making any sense?"

Sylvester stared, dumbstruck. Magnus grunted. "If it is just us four, we will never find the prince. We are all doomed."

Hodge nodded in agreement.

* * *

**THERE WILL BE MALEC I PROMISE! Seriously, there will be Malec. If you just stick with the story long enough, there will be. I haven't gotten there yet. **

**REVIEW! You guys! I love everyone who reviewed. Like, I went from 8 to f****** 20! I WANT MORE! **

**OK, I'M DONE NOW. **

**Sorry, I left caps lock on. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS I LOVE EVERY ONE OF YOU. YOU GUYS GAVE ME INSPIRATION AND HOPE AND I LOVED EVERY ONE OF YOUR IDEAS (EVEN THOUGH I CAN ONLY USE MAYBE ONE OR TWO) BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKE THE STORY. **

**I took that other chapter down,, because I'm not going to delete the story. I have inspiration, so I'm not going to put it on hiatus either, even though the update time might be a while. I was just going through a tough time - i realize that deleting the story was a bit rash. I don't know that i even was going to go through with it. But your reviews gave me hope in my writing abilities and my (somewhat) creativity and to award you, here is a chapter that I literally wrote last night. Seriously, though, you guys are the best. I don't know where I would be right now. **

**Okay, now that school is out, you (might) see a lot more of me. And now that I actually (maybe) have a plot to this story, I might be able to write. ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU. I hope you like it. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the lovely characters mentioned. **

* * *

_Darkness. _

_Something's missing. He can't remember what. _

_There was a burning in his lungs, intense and unbreakable. He couldn't breathe. _

_Arms wrapped around him, pulling him upward, out of the dark. _

_There's a color, a sort of gold mixed with green, and a deep voice that put him in a trance. Suddenly, the color took shape, forming into eyes, the lilt of them suggesting Asian heritage. And then those beautiful eyes had a face, with black hair and tan skin. _

_More darkness. Another color: a lustrous purple, glowing, making the darkness disappear, hopefully forever. _

Alec's eyes opened abruptly, and he took a deep breath, feeling the after effects of the dream he'd pulled himself out of. Or rather, the alarm clock did, with its piercing and harsh sound signifying that it was time for everyone in a ten-mile radius to be awakened from sleep at… 7:20 in the morning. Alec groaned and raised an arm that still had yet to wake up and slapped at the stupid clock, eventually hitting the snooze button with enough force to stop the incessant beeping. What had he been dreaming about? He knew it had something to do with the night he lost Max…but that was all he could remember.

He rolled over and put the pillow over his head, feeling the shell press hard into his collarbone. He could hear Isabelle's shower going in the next room. Every bedroom had its own bathroom, and Isabelle's happened to be right next to where Alec slept, separated only by a thin wall.

The pop of bacon being fried from downstairs was what eventually tore Alec away from trying to reconnect with his dream, which he still couldn't remember. He quickly hopped in the shower, attempting to scrub off the feeling of forgetting something important, and dressed for school, pulling on a black t-shirt (which his dresser was stocked full of, along with gray and the occasional dark blue) and jeans, which wasn't really ideal for summer in Florida, but he didn't mind the heat that much. He grabbed his backpack sitting on his desk and went out into the hall. It was white, and had pictures all across; old pictures of the Lightwood kids through the years; class photos, baby pictures.

He went downstairs to find Hodge at the stove, fixing eggs and bacon for breakfast. Alec sat down at the table and quietly set his bag on the floor next to his chair. Without turning around, Hodge said, "How do you like your eggs, Alec?"

"How'd you know it was me?"

He turned around and smiled at Alec, and then his gray eyes traveled down and rested on Alec's conch shell. Alec quickly tucked the shell under his shirt, where it usually was kept, but he must've forgotten. He saw Hodge frown slightly, but it was replaced with yet another smile – albeit smaller than the first – as if nothing had happened. "It couldn't have been your sister, because she would have plopped down in her chair and starting talking about something that is only meaningful to a girl, like… hair, or…makeup. Something like that. She would just ramble on, and I will nod like I'm listening, though I'm really not." He had started to turn back to the bacon, but he glanced at Alec. "Don't tell her I said that."

Alec laughed a little and nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see someone come up to the sliding glass door that led outside and towards the beach. Only a few people used that door, and since they were all in this house…that could only be one person.

"By the Angel, I'm starved," Jace said as he came in and looked over Hodge's shoulder, taking a piece of bacon. He sat down next to Alec at the table.

Hodge gave him a slightly annoyed look. "Do you not eat at your own house?"

Jace stared at him, bacon hanging out of his mouth. "Why would I?" he answered.

The sound of heels came from the stairs, followed by Isabelle, stomping into the kitchen and plopping into a chair. She crossed her arms and huffed. A strand of hair fell into her face, and she glared at it, almost crossing her eyes. Hodge came over with two plates in his hands, setting them down in front of the two siblings before going back to the stove and retrieving Jace's plate. Jace looked at Isabelle, head to one side. "What's wrong, Iz? Did clown beauty dot com run out of your favorite mascara?"

Isabelle shook her head. "I am _not_ in the mood, Jace, so you had better back off now before I chop you up into little Jace-pieces and feed them to Church. Which," she added, "he would enjoy, because he hates you. With a passion."

"I never quite worked out why he hates me," Jace said thoughtfully. "I mean, how could you hate this?" He gestured to his face.

"It's because you sat on his tail when we first moved here," said Alec.

Jace pursed his lips. "Oh. Yeah." Having finished his breakfast, Jace sat back in his chair and looked around. "Hey, where is Church, anyway?"

Isabelle raised her eyebrows. "Did you just have a _Phineas and Ferb_ moment?"

Before Jace could say anything else, Alec cut in. "Stop it, you two. Izzy, why are you mad?"

She huffed again and sank lower in her chair. "I think I'm losing Simon."

At this, Jace barked a laugh that Alec was sure Africa could hear. Even Hodge turned around to look at him. "You can't be losing Simon, Isabelle. The guy _worships_ the ground you walk on. I mean, he'd have to, or I would kill him." Alec cleared his throat. "Oh yeah, and Alec would too."

"Not until I got a hold of him." She smiled, but it faded. "It's just that…you know, since those new people showed up, I've barely gotten to see him."

"They've been here a day," Alec deadpanned.

"Yeah, but after I left he didn't call or come by. He spent the rest of the day with that girl – Clary-something."

"What?" Jace said, sitting up straight in his chair. "What was he doing?"

"How should I know?" Isabelle snapped.

"Morgenstern," Hodge said.

Jace looked at him. "Gesundheit."

"No, that's Clary's last name. You know, she happens to be…my niece." They all stared at him, eyebrows furrowed, wondering why he paused. He offered a weak smile, and then proceeded to go back to cleaning the stove. "Shouldn't you be at school or something?" he asked without turning around.

"Oh, by the Angel!" Alec said. In a hurry, they grabbed their stuff and headed out, Jace pausing only a moment to grab an extra piece of bacon.

* * *

He could feel his eyes on them all the way down to the beach. Magnus did not know what this guy's problem was, but he was to put his own opinions aside in order to protect the princess.

Clary quickly found the dock where they had first met Simon…no, that's not his name. She sat down on the edge and looked up at Magnus with a smile that reached her green eyes, patting the empty space next to her. He cast one last look over his shoulder.

The guy had stalked them all the way from Hodge's house. Magnus had first seen him on the sidewalk a few feet away from it with two other people. He was the tallest, with dark brown, almost black hair, and eyes that looked black. He saw Clary first, as she was the first to go out the door and down the steps. His expression changed – he was laughing and smiling with his friends, but when he saw her, something came over him, something Magnus did not like. He locked eyes with Magnus then, and Magnus could've sworn he knew him from somewhere. The guy looked like he knew Magnus as well, because his eyebrows furrowed. Then he turned his attention back to Clary.

Now, the guy was nowhere in sight. Magnus had to do a double take to make sure. He eventually sat down next to Clary, trying to act as if nothing had happened, for her sake. He knew she did not need to be protected – she could handle herself very well. But the king would have Magnus's head if anything happened to her.

"So," said Clary, looking down into the water. Little multicolored fish had started swarming around near her feet, which did not reach the water. Magnus's, however, were all the way in, as were his ankles. "My _cymar_."

Magnus groaned. "Not this again. You would not stop pestering poor Samuel about that boy – Jace, was it?" She nodded. Magnus rolled his eyes. "Now you know pretty much everything about him."

"I don't know how to get him to ask me out."

"What?" Magnus raised an eyebrow.

"_Simon_," she explained, putting emphasis on the name, "educated me on the whole human-teenager-language thing. 'Asking someone out' is when you ask someone to go on a date, which is sort of like courting. Except," she paused, "it involves a lot more…tongue…"

"Again, _what_?"

Clary shrugged. "I don't know. It all seems a lot more complicated than I thought it would."

"Maybe you are just using that nerd and his girlfriend as an example," said Magnus. "I'm not sure all human couples are like that." He hoped, at least.

She nodded. "You're right. Anyway, Simon said he'd put in a good word for me with Jace, so let's hope it works." She crossed her fingers and stared out at the horizon.

The sun was high in the sky, and it was beating down on the back of Magnus's neck. He reached up and rubbed his hand across it, and his hand came away wet. Great, now he was leaking.

"There you guys are," said a voice from behind them. He sounded out of breath, as if he'd been running. Magnus turned to find the human, S-whatever. "I went to Hodge's house and you weren't there; he said you hadn't been there all day. I was starting to get worried – maybe someone found out you were mermaids and decided to do experiments on you." He blew out a deep breath, his stance relaxing.

Clary smiled up at him, shielding the sun from her eyes with her hand. "Hello, Simon. How was school?"

Sam's eyes shifted, confused. "Uh, fine."

Clary tilted her head. "Is that not what humans say?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Simon!" a voice called from a few feet away. Magnus recognized it as Isabelle Lightwood, Alec's sister. She came running, black hair flowing behind her, up to Simon and threw her arms around his shoulders. That must be the customary greeting for someone to meet his or her mate. There was no way in the sea that Magnus would ever do that, however.

Magnus looked on with mild interest, until he noticed the two figures walking toward them after Isabelle. They stopped a few feet away. His back straightened when he realized it was Alec, and that blond guy, Trace-whatever. Clary's _cymar_. Clary smiled at him, and started walking towards him. Trace smiled back. Wait, was his name Trace? Or was it Pace? Oh well, this was not the time to be bothered with it.

He watched Alec's eyes glance at Clary and whatshisname. Alec took a step to the side. He did it with this casual grace, as though he had done the action several thousand times and was used to it. His blue eyes found Magnus staring, and he looked down, trying but failing to hide the blush that was rapidly spreading on his cheeks. Magnus saw his shoulders tense, and saw his hand go to his collarbone, pressing something into his palm. Magnus knew his conch shell had sensed his presence. Magnus took that as his cue to walk over to him.

"Hello," said Magnus, smiling slightly.

Alec looked up at him. Magnus heard him swallow. "Um, hi."

There was a lull in the conversation – if three words exchanged could be classified as a conversation. In the silence, Magnus heard Clary giggle, and saw her casually place a hand on her collarbone. Her conch was glowing as well, under her shirt.

"So, uh…" Alec said. "How has your stay been so far?"

Magnus looked at him. "We've only been here a day."

Alec laughed nervously. "Yeah, you're right, that was a stupid thing to say." He looked away, blushing and looking ready to kick himself.

"No it wasn't," said Magnus. "Our stay has been very nice. Hodge has made us very comfortable." _He kind of has to, as Clary is the princess, and His Majesty would have Hodge put to death_, thought Magnus.

"Magnus!" Clary was calling him. He turned. That Trace guy had a hold of Clary's hand and was leading her away; Clary's body was turned slightly to look at Magnus. "Jace and I are going to get ice cream!" Jace! That was his name!

Magnus wasn't too sure about Jace yet; he knew someone should probably go with Clary. But Magnus didn't want to leave Alec just yet. He looked at Simone and nodded in Clary and Jace's direction. It took a few nods before the human understood. "Hey Izzy," he said, unclasping Isabelle's hands behind his back. "Let's go with them. I want some ice cream too."

Isabelle seemed reluctant, but agreed. They started to follow, but Isabelle cast a glance at Alec that Magnus could not exactly pinpoint. Magnus turned back to Alec and smiled. "Would you like to walk on the beach with me?"

* * *

"That is a cool necklace," Magnus said. They had been walking for about two hours; they walked the beach three times, and were on their fourth lap. Clary and the others were still not back yet, and Magnus was starting to worry about the princess. And then Alec smiled, and all thoughts about anything except him were forgotten.

Alec's hand flew to his collarbone, but found it still under his shirt. "Thank you. I…found it."

"Where?"

"Uh…" Alec seemed reluctant to tell, even though Magnus already knew exactly where he found it, as Magnus was the one who left it for him. "Over by the dock you and Clary were sitting at. After… my brother died."

Oh no. Magnus remembered that night well.

It had been his third time coming to the surface when he was not on duty. He loved coming up to the surface to listen to conversations. That day had been the first time he saw Alec. He'd been listening to their conversation, finding it cute that the boy had a crush on someone from his school, and then his conch shell started glowing. Magnus had originally thought it was glowing because of the boy, and that scared him because the boy was what, nine? Ten? Then he realized it started when the boy's older brother had started to speak, and Magnus knew what he had found. He had wanted to stay longer, but his time was up and he had to leave. He was a few yards away when he heard screaming, and swam back to find the boy limp in the water. Magnus knew there was nothing he could do. He was not to interfere with human affairs – that was why so many humans drown every year. But then he heard a splash and saw the boy's brother jump into the water – and freeze. Magnus stayed in place for a moment, hoping he would move, or do something. But no. And Magnus couldn't just let him die – not like he'd let the boy die. Magnus swam quickly over to him and hauled him out of the water and onto the dock.

"I wish I could've saved him," Magnus whispered now.

"What?" Alec asked.

"What was his name?" Magnus asked nonchalantly, trying to draw attention away from his stupid sentence.

"Max," Alec answered. And then swallowed. "I'm sorry, can we just talk about something else?"

"Of course." Magnus paused for a moment. "So, is Alec short for Alexander?"

Alec blushed. "Yes, but I go by Alec."

"Whatever you say, Alexander."

Alec laughed again, and Magnus's heart fluttered in his chest. Nothing could ruin this moment right here.

Except for the guy staring at them from a few feet down the beach. It was the same guy from earlier today, the one stalking Magnus and Clary. He was still staring at them with his creepy eyes. Magnus grunted and rolled his eyes. "Not this guy again."

Alec looked around. "Who? Where is he?" His eyes eventually found the guy. "Oh. That's Isabelle's ex, Sebastian. He kind of has it out for us now, since Isabelle dumped him."

"He looks so familiar…" Magnus trailed off as he heard someone coming towards them.

Clary's little red head appeared beside him, Jace following with Isabelle and that S-guy close behind. A wide smile consumed Clary's face. "Did you have fun?" She asked. "Ice cream is great! You really need to try it sometime."

"You've never had ice cream before?" Alec asked.

"You should've seen her face when she tried it," said Jace, coming to stand beside Alec. "It was so cute." He smiled at Clary. She smiled back. Magnus was ready to throw up.

As Clary and Jace were off in their own little world, Magnus turned back to Alec, who looked like he was trying to say something but failing miserably. "W-would you…maybe…like to go out…sometime?" He gave a weak smile at the end.

Go out? What was Clary saying about that today? All he could remember was the tongue part, which actually sounded very appealing – as long as it was Alec's tongue. But wait, where would it go?

"Sure," Magnus agreed. "I'd love to."

Alec smiled, making his eyes sparkle. "Okay, great."

Magnus smiled as well. But, as much fun as this was… "Clary," he called. "We have to go."

They said their goodbyes, and Magnus and Clary were on their way, Clary telling Magnus all about this wonderful solid/liquid stuff called ice cream. Apparently it came from cows, whatever a cow was.

* * *

Alec couldn't stop staring after Magnus. Did he seriously just ask Magnus on a date? And did Magnus seriously agree?

Alec kept replaying the day's events in his head on the way home, while Jace and Isabelle were deep in conversation that Alec couldn't care less about. Today was possibly the best day ever – last day of high school, getting to talk with who was quite possibly the hottest person Alec had ever seen, and then him agreeing to a date with Alec.

"There's something fishy about those two," said Isabelle, pulling Alec back into the conversation. "And I intend to find out what."

"Iz," said Jace. "You're being paranoid about losing Simon, when clearly Clary is into me. I would kill Simon if he decided to break your heart, and I would kill him _again_ if he went after Clary."

"You really like her, don't you?" Alec asked.

"She isn't like the others, Alec," he said. "I really…_feel _something for Clary, you know?"

Isabelle snapped her fingers in their faces. "Boys, stay on task here. Do you even know where they came from? Hodge has never talked about them before, and then they suddenly show up, no warning, nothing. Are they even related to Hodge? And Simon knows something, something he's not telling me, and he's never lied to me before. And how do we even know Magnus and Clary are their real names?"

"Isabelle, what have they ever done to you?" Alec asked. "They just got here. Why can't you make them feel welcome?"

"Oh, like _you two_ have been?" Isabelle raised her eyebrows at him. "That's right, I heard you ask Magnus out. And you, Jace, I heard you tell Clary that you'd take her for ice cream again tomorrow. Like you said, they've been here _a day_, and you are already asking them out." She stopped walking and put her hands on her hips. "There is something weird about them, and I am going to find out. One way, or another."

By then, they were back at the Lightwood's house. Isabelle walked up to the front door and went inside, slamming it behind her.

* * *

**I hope you like it. I tried really hard. :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**HhHeEeEeEeYyYyYyYyYYYy! I've updated! Thank you all so much for the reviews, I have taken your ideas (and your compliments) into consideration, and you guys have inspired me to do my awesome (yet sucky in ways) writing thing and give you another chapter. It's about time, right? **

**DISCLAIMER: No characters, do I own. Well, I own _characters_, but not these in this story. Those belong to Cassandra Clare. **

* * *

Alec hit the back of his head on the wall. Several times. "For the last time, Jace, I'm not taking Magnus to Long John Silver's."

Jace laughed, lying on his back on Alec's bed. He put one arm under his head, resting it in the crook of his elbow. "It was just an idea. I was just naming all the places we have in the area. It doesn't matter to me which one you pick."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Just, no."

"Well," said Jace, "you could always take him for ice cream. That worked with Clary."

He did seem very interested in ice cream, Alec thought. "Yeah, maybe."

Jace leaned up on his arms and looked down at Alec, who was sitting on the floor against the wall. "What did you two talk about yesterday? You seem very _smitten_ with him." He smirked and raised an eyebrow.

Before Alec was given a chance to contradict him, Isabelle came into the room. "Hey, did you guys hear? That new amusement park the next town over is opening tomorrow."

"And?" Jace asked, clearly uninterested.

She went and sat on the edge of the bed. "_And _I was thinking maybe we could all go. Jace, you could take Clary, and Alec could take Magnus. It could be like a triple date." She smiled, pleased with herself.

Jace sat up. "Wait a minute," he said. "Is this just a way to find out information from them? Because if it is, Izzy – "

"No," she interrupted. "It's not. It's just, I couldn't help but overhear – "

"You mean you were eavesdropping," Alec said.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You still need a place to take Magnus on your date, and I thought of the amusement park."

Alec thought for a moment. This was a date. He was going on a date with Magnus. He did not really want his friends there with him. But the amusement park wasn't such a bad idea. Jace would most likely ditch with Clary. Isabelle will drag Simon off in a different direction, not wanting him anywhere near Clary. That would leave Alec alone with Magnus.

Alec suddenly felt butterflies in his stomach. This was his first ever date. He had no clue how it was supposed to go, what he was supposed to do. Magnus had probably been on many dates; he might be unimpressed with Alec by the time the date was over. That was, if Alec survived that long and didn't die from embarrassment first. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Then Alec thought about last night; how they talked about everything and nothing at all; how Alec felt like he'd known Magnus his whole life, and could tell him anything. He remembered Magnus's oddly colored gold-green eyes watched him as he talked, and how their hands would accidently brush as they walked, sending sparks up and down Alec's arm. Yeah, Alec wanted to feel that again.

Isabelle was still talking, even after Alec tuned her out. "I think I need to take them shopping," she was saying now.

"Uhm…" Alec stuttered. "I don't think that's –"

"No, it's perfect. I can find out where they're from and what exactly their doing here, while at the same time finding them cute new outfits to wear. It's a win-win." She clapped her hands together. "I'm going to go call Simon!"

* * *

"What?"

Simon – it had taken a long time for Magnus to learn his name – had been on the phone with his girlfriend for about five minutes, and already Magnus was confused. And apparently so was Simon. Magnus kept glancing between him and the book he was holding in his lap, which was boring compared to the conversation that was going on in front of him.

They were in Hodge's living room, with Hodge in the kitchen cooking. Clary was sitting next to Magnus on the couch. They were both watching Simon intently, Magnus with one eyebrow raised, and Clary with her head to one side.

"The new amusement park?" Simon asked. "Really?" There was a pause. "Yeah, I mean, of course I want to." He rubbed the back of his neck. "No, they've never been to one," he said, glancing at the two mermaids in front of him. "Well, they told me they haven't." Another pause. "No, Izzy…" He sighed. "Okay…okay…alright. Okay, bye."

He put the phone down and leaned back on the couch, breathing in deep and closing his eyes. Magnus waited until Simon opened his eyes again before he practically screamed, "What the hell is an amusement park?"

"I'll tell you later," Simon said. "Look, Isabelle wants to take you shopping– "

"Shopping? As in, for clothes?" Clary asked, scrunching up her nose. Magnus looked at her. Clearly, she'd been doing her research on human recreational activities.

Simon nodded. "Yes. She said she'd come by in about an hour, and then you are going to the mall."

"The mall?" Clary and Magnus both asked simultaneously.

Simon sighed. "Yes, the mall. Once again, I'll explain later."

* * *

The 'mall,' as Simon called it, was a very large building with lots of people and lots of large openings, almost like caves, filled with things like clothes and books and even food. There were smallish booths in the middle it all, with people talking to other people about different products. Some people were sitting on steps or benches and eating or reading or talking. Magnus and Clary looked around in amazement as Isabelle led them through (she wouldn't let Simon come – saying she needed a new outfit for the date and she didn't want him seeing it). It was bright and loud and _completely awesome_. At least, in Magnus's opinion.

"This was very nice of you, Isabelle," Clary commented as they walked. They had left Simon at home – something about how shopping wasn't his thing. "Taking us to the mall."

Said girl nodded. "Yeah, well, you needed something for your date besides the clothes you're wearing. No offence, but they look like they came from Simon's closet. Not that I don't like what Simon wears or anything, but let's face it; he could use a new wardrobe." Clary glanced at Magnus, who shrugged.

Isabelle led them into a store. There were racks upon racks of clothes, and little shelves housing little bottles of liquid and other things. People – mostly women – were looking through the clothes, pushing some aside and making awful screeching sounds. Upon further inspection, Magnus realized the thing the clothes were hanging on made that noise when in contact with the metal rack. The sound made him cringe. Looking around some more, Magnus found a woman behind a counter, examining her nails and chewing her gum loudly. In front of her was a large machine.

Isabelle took off down an isle of clothes. Clary tugged Magnus's arm, and he obediently followed her. Isabelle was sifting through dresses, making that dreadful screeching sound. When she found one, she would hold it up to Clary and tilt her head in thought. Then she would put it back and sift some more. "So," she said eventually, "where are you guys from?" She glanced up at Magnus.

How was he supposed to answer this? _Well, dear Isabelle, we are from the underwater kingdom of Alicante, just off the coast of your quaint little town. Oh, and did I mention we're mermaids? _Magnus doubted that would go over well with her. He had to think of something, fast.

"New York," he supplied. He could remember Hodge saying something about that city a few hours ago. Either he'd worked there or vacationed there, Magnus couldn't remember. Mainly because he wasn't really listening.

"New York?" Isabelle seemed a bit frustrated at his answer, but let it pass with a grunt.

"So, does Jace ever…talk about me?" Clary asked, trying to seem nonchalant, but sounded more like a twelve-year-old asking about her crush.

Isabelle glanced at her. "Constantly. He won't stop talking about you – you're all he ever thinks about!" She paused. "You're all Simon ever talks about as well," she said, a little snidely.

"Well, I don't – "

"What's going on with you and Simon?" Isabelle interrupted, leaning her arm on the coat rack and glaring daggers at Clary. Magnus straightened his posture. If this girl became a threat…

"We're just friends," Clary assured her. "Nothing else. I… I like Jace." Magnus didn't have to look at her to know she was blushing. Instead he stared over her head at Isabelle. She stared at Clary for a few minutes, her eyes narrowing. Then, she went back to looking through the clothes. Magnus relaxed a little.

As Magnus watched Isabelle, he let his mind wander. And whom should it wander to other than the girl's very brother, Alec. He thought about their conversation the previous night, how Alec would get so excited about a subject and his deep blue eyes would light up and he would smile. This would cause Magnus to smile as well, and then begin to tell a story of his own. And Alec would listen, occasionally throwing in a nod or a hum showing he understood what Magnus was saying. Magnus always had Clary to talk to, but he didn't really think she understood, with her being a princess and having duties to her kingdom. But with Alec, well, Magnus felt heard and understood. And not to mention Alec's fantastic cheekbones and _great_ body…

Magnus drew himself out of his reverie when Isabelle paused her search for a moment to examine a dress. Her eyebrows rose. Her eyes passed from Clary to the dress. Eventually she took the dress and held it up to Clary. She smiled. "That's the one. C'mon." She grabbed Clary's wrist and pulled her along.

She led Clary and Magnus to a small doorway in the back of the store. Inside was a long hallway with small rooms on either side. Some were open, while some had curtains drawn. Glancing under the curtain, Magnus could tell there were people in the closed little rooms. He looked around. The walls were a drab white. Next to him, on the wall, was a long piece of glass. But instead of it being transparent, Magnus could see his reflection. He frowned at what he saw: a boy, with dark hair and caramel-colored skin, with clothes that were much too small for him and dark circles under his eyes. His hair was a wreck, and he looked a bit pale in the face. He looked like a mess, and he knew why.

Magnus had not gotten in the water for two days. And neither had Clary. However, the physical toll did not appear on her as much as it did him. Yet.

Isabelle handed Clary the dress she'd picked out and pushed her into one of the empty rooms and rapidly pulled the curtain shut. "Get to it!" she called.

"Get to what?" Clary asked.

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Put the dress on. We need to see how it looks on you before we buy it."

"O-okay."

They waited outside the room for Clary to get done. Magnus had his back up against the wall, while Isabelle stood and crossed her arms. Both looked extremely bored. Magnus saw Isabelle glance at him, but when she noticed him noticing she looked away again. It went on like that for several minutes. Finally Isabelle decided to speak. "So… Hodge is your uncle?"

"Actually he's Clary's uncle," Magnus explained. "I have no relation to Hodge."

"Right." A pause. "So, you're just here to be a good friend?" Magnus shrugged. "Why _are_ you two here, anyway?"

"J-just to visit," Magnus faltered. He mentally chastised himself. This was totally going to blow their cover. Now Magnus will never get to know Alec, and Clary won't find her brother, and King Valentine would kill them. All of them.

Isabelle narrowed her eyes. "Okay," she said after a beat. Magnus breathed a sigh of relief.

They fell quiet after that, the only sound being the store music coming from some unknown place. "Clary's necklace is pretty," Isabelle said after a while. "I used to have one like that."

That peaked Magnus's interest. "You did?" He asked.

Isabelle nodded. "Yeah. My ex gave it to me. Only his was black. But when we broke up, I gave it back to him. Well, threw it is more like it." She gave a laugh. "So where did she get it, some souvenirs shop in town? Did she get it when you guys came to visit?"

Magnus had stopped listening to Isabelle's incessant questions after the word 'black.' Who in this town has a black shell? He knew Hodge's was black and white, but that was how his tail looked; that was how he was born. A mermaid on land with a black shell could only mean –

At that moment, Clary pushed back the curtain and stepped out of the room. The dress Isabelle had picked out was an iridescent green that matched both Clary's shell and her eyes. It fit tightly to her petite body, and went down to her knees. Her red hair fell down around her shoulders, covering the thick straps of the dress. Her eyes were downcast, as if she didn't really feel comfortable in the dress, although she looked stunning; and, hopefully with Isabelle's help, will look even more stunning for the date.

Isabelle had her hand on her chin and was staring at the dress. She tilted her head again. She gave a nod. "It's pretty," she said. "As long as you don't get on any roller coasters, I think you'll be okay."

What was a roller coaster? Wait, never mind. "Clary," said Magnus. She looked up at him. "There's something I need to –"

Isabelle gasped. "I just saw the perfect shoes for this dress. Over here." She grabbed Clary's wrist – again – and pulled her behind her –again.

Magnus made to follow them, but stopped short. Something shiny on the small shelf next to the clothes rack made him do a double take. There were tiny bottles of sparkly little particles on it. They were all different colors: green, blue, purple, red. They were mesmerizing, temporarily distracting him from the task at hand.

On the shelf next to it were little black containers with different colored powders. There was a sign above it had a picture of some woman's eye, with blue stuff around it. 'Eyeshadow,' the sign read.

He didn't notice when Isabelle came up to his side. She watched him for a moment, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "What is it?"

"What is that?" Magnus asked, almost whispered.

"Um, makeup?" Isabelle supplied.

"And that?" Magnus pointed to the bottles of sparkles.

"That's glitter," said Isabelle. "Now come on. We have to find Clary shoes. But…we can come back to this. I think have an idea."

* * *

Clary and Magnus burst through the door, their arms laden with shopping bags from places with peculiar names, like Hollister and Victoria's Secret. Who the hell was Victoria, and does her secret have to do with the odd garments she sells?

Hodge came into the living room, wiping his hands with a towel, while the two set their bags down and collapsed on the couch, exhausted. Hodge raised his eyebrows. "Have a good time?" He was answered with groans. He chuckled. "Yes, Isabelle tends to get excited when she goes shopping. It isn't everyday she gets people willing to go with her."

Magnus looked up at him. "I think I know why. You know, she asks a lot of nosy questions." A thought dawned on him. He rose up, his arms flailing wildly. Hodge stepped back a little, surprised at Magnus's sudden movements. Magnus chose to ignore this. "She told me something today. She said an ex of hers gave her a _black conch shell_. Do you know what that means?" He heard Clary give a little gasp next to him, but didn't turn to look at her.

Hodge was nodding. "Yes. His name is Sebastian Verlac. I have seen him around her. Luckily, she broke up with him before she could…" He trailed off, but Magnus knew what he meant.

The black shell means the mermaid has turned Endarkened. This Sebastian Verlac fellow was an Endarkened mermaid, and that could mean bad things for anyone that gets in his way. As Isabelle is a human, had she been wearing that conch shell any longer, she could've died. Magnus didn't even want to think about what would happen if he got his hands on the princess. They needed to stay away from him at all costs.

Magnus's thoughts turned to the guy that had been following them yesterday. He looked like he had something around his neck, but Magnus only had a fleeting glance at him before having to look away so as not to draw suspicion. He seemed intent on stalking them, almost as if he knew them…

"I think," Magnus said at last, "I've met him. He was with a few friends – "

"Other Endarkened mermaids," said Hodge. "Yes."

Magnus chanced a sidelong look at Clary. She wasn't looking at him; she was looking at the shopping bags on the floor. But Magnus knew her thoughts were on something else.

"Hodge," Clary said, her voice shaking slightly, "what are we going to do? If he gets his hands on me, do you know what that means for Alicante? For my family?"

"He won't," Magnus said fiercely. "That's what I'm here for, Your Highness – to protect you."

"I don't care about me, I care about my kingdom," Clary snapped.

They were a bit quiet after that, no one really knowing what to say. "Perhaps," Hodge said at last, "you two should go to bed. No doubt you've had a rather tiring day."

The mermaids nodded, and they stood, gathered their bags, and went to their respective rooms. They were old guest bedrooms that Hodge never really used, hence the drab décor and lack of anything exciting – just another human bedroom, Magnus supposed. Magnus went inside and, without turning on the light, set his bags down on the floor, and collapsed onto the inviting mattress. His eyes fluttered closed, and he was about to drift off when he heard a small, hesitant knock on the door.

He pushed himself off the bed and went to the door. He opened it to reveal Clary, looking smaller than her actual size, her arms wrapped around her body. She looked up at him, her expression that of a princess – defiant, poised, and regal. "I need you to tell me everything will be okay. Can you do that?" Her expression may have held self-confidence, but her eyes held fear.

Normally, Clary would come to him like this, for advice on some decision she needs to make for her father, or help because she needs to talk to her brother but doesn't quite know how. And normally, Magnus would know what to do, and would be able to answer any and all questions she had. Now, however, was different. Because now…

He didn't know.

* * *

**Like me, that chapter was short, odd, and all over the place. But hey, something is better than nothing ;)**

**Big shoutout to Stelle's Pen, for giving me the idea with Seb and and the whole Endarkened thing. THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**So, to anyone that lives in America, Happy Fourth! **

**Thanks for the reviews, but leave more! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I feel so bad about only updating once a month. I understand if you never wanna hear from me again - _I_ don't even want to hear from me. I'm very unreliable right now. Usually I'm very _reliable_, so this is just odd. But, I have updated. This is the first date. NOTE: This is the first _half _of the date, told from Alec's point of view. I'm so sorry it was so short, but I really couldn't keep you waiting forever for the whole thing. I will try an have the other half up next week (I'm going away this weekend, so that's why I wanted to update today). AAAANNNNYYYWWWHHHOOOO, here you go.**

**Also, I changed my pen name. If you haven't already noticed. Let me know if you like it. **

**DISCLAIMER: Yeah, you know the drill. I don't own TMI, characters or otherwise. **

* * *

What usually happens on a date to an amusement park? Sure, there are games and rides and food and things, but what do you talk about? How do you act? What do you _wear_? Were the clothes he was wearing okay? What was Magnus going to wear? _Why_ did Magnus agree in the first place?

These were the questions buzzing through Alec's head as he stared straight up at the ceiling of his bedroom. What was he going to do? His triple-date, or whatever, was in an hour, and he had nothing to wear, nothing to say… All he had was nervous butterflies in his stomach. He ran a hand through his dark locks. Magnus was going to regret ever agreeing to this date with Alec. He groaned.

The bedroom door opened slightly and Isabelle's head poked in. "Excited?" she asked, her red lips upturned into a smile.

Alec lifted his head a little to regard her with narrowed eyes. "Do I _look_ excited?"

"No, you look pale." She came in all the way and shut the door behind her. She sat down on the edge of the bed. "What's wrong? _You're_ the one who asked _him_ out, remember?"

"Yeah, I know, Izzy." Alec sighed and got up from the bed. He went to his desk and collapsed in the chair, putting his face in his hands. Something was just…off about this whole thing. The last time they hung out, everything was fine, fantastic even. Maybe it was just because this time it was planned, and was labeled as a _date_.

He thought about his and Magnus's conversation on the beach. After they had gotten past Alec's blunders in the beginning, Magnus seemed at ease, perfectly comfortable; and Alec felt much the same way. They talked about anything and everything, and it was the best time Alec had had since Max died.

He was suddenly conscious of the conch resting on his collarbone. He drew it out from behind his shirt and examined it; still the same size, same purple color, same little letter etched into the side. It looked normal – it didn't glow. Alec didn't understand why it glowed or what had caused it to, but every time it did, Alec felt a mixture of fear and excitement. It caused his heart to beat wildly in his chest and made his stomach do flips inside him. And he loved it. He wondered if that was the normal reaction to finding out the conch shell necklace you found in the ocean after your brother's death has magical properties, mainly glowing on its own accord. Then he decided no, that was not the normal reaction.

"Please tell me you aren't wearing _that_ on the date," Isabelle said, pointing to Alec's black faded t-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees. Alec jumped and put the conch back under his shirt. He'd been so lost in thought, he'd forgotten Isabelle was even in the room.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Absolutely nothing," she said, and Alec could practically feel the sarcasm dripping from her voice. She stood. "But I'm going to pick out your outfit." With an air of determination about her, she went to Alec's closet and set to work, pulling out clothes, examining them, and throwing them behind her. Some landed on the bed, and some landed in the floor. Alec didn't really mind her doing this – it was sort of a good thing she was helping him. She talked with Magnus all day the day before, so she knew what he would like. In a way, Alec was kind of glad. But there was _no way_ he would _ever _tell her that. Ever.

"So," he said, trying to act nonchalant, "what did you find out yesterday?" He was eager to learn more about Magnus; the questions he was too shy to ask a few days ago hopefully Isabelle asked.

Isabelle was now completely hidden, but he heard a frustrated grunt, and clothes started to fly out of his closet faster. "Nothing! Clary and Simon – according to _her_ – do _not_ have anything going on. Clary just has a seriously big crush on our snarky blond neighbor. But," she added, poking her head out, "I did get that they are from New York, so that's something you and Magnus have in common." She wiggled her eyebrows at him before going back into the closet. "You know, they could be in some kind of cult or drug gang or something. It was like they'd never _seen_ a mall before, or glitter or makeup or anything normal. But I'm still going over to Hodge's to help them get ready, because seriously, they need it."

Mentally storing the information about where Magnus was from, Alec said, "So, I take it you are nowhere in your investigation?" He chuckled fondly at his sister, who poked her head out again to stick her tongue out at him.

* * *

Alec pulled nervously at his sweater as he and Jace walked. Jace had done the sensible thing and bought flowers for Clary – "We passed this flower stand and she said she liked them," Jace explained when Alec inquired. "Apparently, she's never seen flowers before, either." His eyebrows furrowed, then he shrugged. "I'm going to ask her about it later." They didn't talk the rest of the way to Hodge's.

It was almost dark; the last rays of sunlight shone in the distance. It didn't take long to reach Hodge's house – the way was practically engraved into their brains after going over there so much. As they approached, Alec felt the butterflies return to his stomach. He swallowed as they went up the steps. Holding his flowers proudly, Jace rang the doorbell and waited. He smirked at Alec, who, for the millionth time, started tugging on the hem of his sweater. Isabelle had dressed him in dark jeans, a white collared shirt, and a dark sweater to go over it. She made him roll up the sleeves, for the heat and because she said it showed off his muscles, at which point he blushed.

The door opened finally and Hodge stepped out. He cast sideways glances down the street before his eyes finally landed on the two boys in front of him. He looked a bit…worried. Jace raised his eyebrows. "Expecting someone else, Hodge?"

Hodge shook his head and ushered them inside. Alec stepped in first to the familiar sight of Hodge's living room. Immediately, he felt the conch vibrate against his collarbone. He saw someone stand in his peripheral vision, and instinctively he turned his head. It was Magnus, and Alec almost fell backwards at the sight of him.

Magnus was wearing purple skinny jeans that looked like they were painted on, and a purple tank top with rhinestones around the neckline. Over that was a black leather jacket with studs around the collar and on the shoulders. All of this was completed with black boots. Upon further inspection, Alec saw that Magnus's eyes were lined with charcoal, making his gold-green eyes pop, and there was purple glitter in his spiked-up hair. Alec had never been a big fan of the color purple (aside from his conch) but Magnus could _definitely _pull it off.

Alec knew he was just standing there staring, but he couldn't do anything about it, not with Magnus looking at him with those beautiful eyes and that smirk on his face was…wow. Those lips started moving, and Alec got too caught up in watching them to actually hear what he said. Which was why he looked like a total idiot when Magnus stopped talking and expected a response. Alec shook his head. "What?" He heard Jace snicker behind him, but chose to ignore him.

"Clary and Isabelle will take a little longer to get ready," Magnus repeated. "Something about finding the _perfect_ hairstyle for Clary." He shrugged and laughed. _He has a beautiful laugh,_ thought Alec. Magnus's eyes lit up, and he grinned, his white teeth almost blinding Alec. Alec froze for a moment – it was like Magnus read his mind. But quickly shook that thought away. The shell trembled harder against him, and he could practically hear its soft purr. He swallowed hard.

Alec didn't know how long he'd been standing there staring at Magnus, but he didn't seem to mind; he just stared right back, as if he were staring into Alec's soul. Alec quickly got lost once again his Magnus's enchanting gold-green eyes that reminded him a bit of a cat. The sound of someone clearing his throat made him jump, and he turned suddenly. Jace, Isabelle, and Clary stood there, Jace with his arms crossed and a smirk. Alec wanted to roll his eyes at him. "Shall we go?" Jace asked. "Or do you two want to finish your staring contest?" He had given the flowers to Clary, who was smiling and holding them to her nose. There was a faint red color to her cheeks that almost matched her hair.

"No," said Alec, much harsher than he'd intended. He gave a sideways glance at Magnus to find him smiling. He felt a blush creep up his neck, quickly looking down at his feet.

Jace turned his head to Clary and made a wide sweeping gesture towards the door. "After you," he said. Alec could've sworn he saw something flash as she smiled at him and made her way out, but it could've been the light reflecting off her shimmering green dress, or the hair pins holding her up-do in place. Isabelle really did a good job with her. And she did a good job on herself, too, with her red dress that went down to her knees, and matching shoes. It was a little too fancy to be wearing to an amusement park, however. But who was Alec to tell them what they should and shouldn't wear?

They all left the house and waited on the sidewalk for Simon to pick them up in his van. Alec wasn't too keen on riding in a smelly old van with band instruments and traces of old food, but seeing as how none of them had a car and the park was in the next town over, he didn't really have a choice in the matter. So, he waited, picking at the hem of his sweater. Magnus leaned over to him. "Are you okay?" he asked. He was so close to Alec, and it made Alec's heart speed up. The smell of sandalwood and vanilla invaded Alec's nose.

Alec nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Magnus narrowed his eyes. "Really? Because you seem a little nervous." He smiled.

Alec nodded again. "Really, I'm okay." Luckily, he was saved from any further questioning by the sight of Simon's van pulling up to the curb. Isabelle climbed in the passenger's seat, leaving Jace, Clary, Magnus, and Alec to be squished in the back against Simon's band's instruments. Alec settled himself, somewhat uncomfortably, against once side of the band, resting one arm on a rather large drum set. Magnus sat on Alec's other side, squished between Alec and a keyboard. Magnus smiled sheepishly as he sat down, but Alec didn't really mind the closeness.

The ride to the park wasn't that long, and the group spent it with conversation. Jace told some stories about when he and Alec and Isabelle were younger and would get into trouble, most of the time with Jace's parents and Hodge, seeing as how Alec and Isabelle's parents were never around. Alec found himself laughing at the antics he got up to when he was younger, and Magnus laughed as well.

When they finally arrived, they all piled out of the van. The sound of a whirring roller coaster and screams of passengers on that roller coaster filled their ears, along with an assortment of bells and whistles from the games and music playing in the background. It was dark now, the only illumination being car headlights and the lights from the park. Isabelle promptly grabbed Simon's hand and pulled him towards the park, but not before she whispered to Alec, "I'll see if I can get some info out of Simon," which made Alec roll his eyes. That girl just did not know when to quit. Meanwhile, Magnus and Clary looked at all the flashing lights ahead with amazement. It was almost like they were hypnotized. Alec, too, was impressed with what they did with the old abandoned lot that sat in this spot before the park showed up.

They started to walk towards it. Alec got the sense that it was some sort of teenage-based horror amusement park, what with the dark rids and games and all the scary cardboard cutouts of monster-type things. There were even people in costume going around, jumping out from behind things at people. The sign over the entrance spelled out _ShadowWorld _in flashing red lights. Once they had gotten through the entrance, Alec noticed that he and Magnus were the only two left. He looked around, trying to get a glimpse of bright red or blond hair, but none was in sight. He looked at Magnus, who looked back at him quizzically. "Did you see Jace and Clary leave?"

Magnus nodded. "They said to meet back at that death trap you call a van at about midnight." He turned his head to look around the place. "That is a long time from now, is it not? I do not think I like Clary gone for that long."

"Why?" Alec asked. They started to walk through the sea of people playing games and walking around. Alec had to weave and zigzag through to keep from bumping into anyone, while Magnus just walked with ease.

Magnus glanced at him briefly before answering. "I promised her parents I would keep her safe during our trip."

Alec nodded in understanding. No one said anything after that; they just walk in a somewhat comfortable silence. Magnus was still looking at all the sights and the people around him. Alec got so caught up in watching him that he did not expect the person in a mask that resembled an alien with sharp jagged teeth to jump from behind a game of balloon darts. He was about to sock the guy in the face when Magnus jumped in front of him, shielding him from the guy in the mask. From his position, Alec could not see from his position if what Magnus was doing, but he could see the masked figure hold up his hands in surrender and shrink back into the dark behind the game booth. Magnus then resumed his position next to Alec, throwing him a sheepish smile. Alec just stood there, dumbstruck. No one had ever done that for him before. He felt something flutter, and instinctively reached for the conch (he could _not_ have it give off its magical glow during his date). But it wasn't the conch shell. It was his heart.

"What was that?" He asked later, after he had gained his voice and come out of his mild shock. "What did you do to scare him like that?" Though Alec could not see the man's face for the mask, he knew he was probably terrified, just by the way he held himself.

Magnus shrugged and didn't answer. Alec wanted to ask more questions, but did not want to bombard Magnus with the nosy questions flitting through his mind. Instead, he focused on his shoes, which weren't that exciting. They were just black converse – nothing special.

Then Magnus stopped walking, his posture straight and his expression a mixture of defensiveness and anger. His eyes were glaring at someone or something across the sea of people, but Alec couldn't make out what. By then they had reached the cotton candy booth. There was a line of people waiting to get some, but the line wasn't too long. After a few seconds, Magnus glanced at Alec, and then at the booth behind him. "What is that stuff?" He asked.

Alec was beyond confused. "That's…cotton candy," he answered numbly. "Who were you –"

"Will you get me some?" Magnus asked, his gold-green eyes pouring into Alec's. The words seemed to echo in Alec's head. There was something about the gaze that was so…hypnotic. Magnus really was very beautiful. Alec did not know what came over him, but he found himself nodding and going over to stand in line for cotton candy, leaving Magnus where he was.

Once he'd broke eye contact with Magnus, Alec shook his head. That was the weirdest feeling in the world – it was like his actions weren't his own, he was just watching as something else took control of his body and moved it around. While he was still trying to work out what was happening, he held up two fingers to the attendant while pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. He paid with a five-dollar bill and took the two pink swirled candy treats. He turned around to give one to Magnus…

…but Magnus wasn't there. Alec looked around, searching the faces of the people milling about, but Magnus was not one of them. Alec sighed. _Great_, he thought as he sat down on what was probably the only empty bench in a fifty-yard radius, _my first date just ditched me._

* * *

**Ooooooohhhhhhhh I'm so sorry I had to leave it there. I'm so sorry it was so short. I can't really say anything else about it, because it would spoil the next chapter, and who wants that, right? So...I'm just gonna leave it here... DON'T HATE ME! **

**I'm so interested in what you have to say about this. *bites lip nervously* okay, I'm gonna go now...**

**Bye! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Ohhhh dear. I...have no words. Hope the chapter doesn't suck. **

* * *

Magnus regretted the glance he took over his shoulder. He regretted deciding to leave Alec at the stand selling what Alec had called "cotton candy," but he couldn't risk Alec getting hurt, or risk him finding out that Magnus was a merman. Magnus didn't know how well he'd take _that_ just yet – it was only the first date, after all. But the look over his shoulder made Magnus want to tell Alec _everything_, just so he would never see that look on Alec's beautiful face again. Alec's blue eyes looked almost colorless, as did his face, as he searched the crowd for Magnus. Magnus saw him slump, defeated and heartbroken, when he did not catch sight of his date. It almost made Magnus turn and go back to him, apologize, but he could do that later. He had something to do now.

Magnus continued on his track to the dark space between game booths. That was where he had caught sight of the boy who had stalked him and Clary for the past week, lurking around buildings and in stores – Magnus had even seen him outside of Hodge's house once, looking up at the front window from the sidewalk; The boy with the black shell; the Endarkened merman; the boy Alec had called Sebastian.

He had seen Sebastian while he was with Alec. Sebastian was with two other boys, both Endarkened as well by the looks of them. They were just standing, looking around, until Sebastian had met Magnus's eyes, black on gold-green. Instantly Magnus felt the same sensation he got when he looked at the boy – familiarity. But Magnus did not know where he had seen Sebastian before; he had never heard the name. Perhaps he had seen him in the village at one time or another, maybe only looking at him through peripheral vision.

As Magnus kept walking, their staring contest increased in intensity. The other boys noticed Magnus nearing as well, however their gazes wavered, unlike Sebastian's, who's stayed strong. They must have recognized Magnus as a Royal Guard, because they turned to go. One, with dark hair maybe halfway to his shoulders, clutched at Sebastian's toned forearm, pulling him away. The other was already gone. Magnus stopped his movement, watching intently. Instead of going backward, however, Sebastian took a step forward towards Magnus. Instinctively, Magnus assumed a defense posture, squaring his shoulders and anticipating an attack. The other Endarkened said something to him, but Magnus was too far away to hear. Then, Sebastian seemed to snarl at Magnus, and turned to follow the other boy. They disappeared into the darkness.

Magnus stared at the dark space. There are Endarkened mermaids in the area – a lot, so Hodge says. It makes it very easy for Prince Jonathon to succumb to the darkness. Which makes this rescue mission a whole lot harder. They have to find him.

_But what about Alec?_

Magnus closed his eyes and sighed. He had to go back and try his hardest to explain where he had gone. So he once again wove his way through the crowd, bumping people's shoulders as he went. He found Alec sitting on a bench, his head in one hand, and the conch in the other. Alec rubbed his thumb over the surface. Magnus felt a shiver run through him, feeling as though Alec were doing that to _him_. He drew closer, loving that feeling. Alec looked up as Magnus reached him, and immediately his eyes brightened as he stood. And then his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and a little bit of anger. Magnus felt his stomach knot up. Boy, would he have _a lot_ of explaining to do.

In an attempt to ease the tension he was feeling between them, Magnus smiled brightly. "Hi," he said.

Alec did not smile. Magnus fidgeted under his scrutinizing gaze. "Where did you go?" Alec asked. "I turned around, and you were just – gone."

Magnus scratched the back of his head, looking down. What would he say that Alec would believe? And what if he said the wrong thing, because he doesn't know that much about the human world yet? He sighed. He hadn't really wanted to use Enchantment on Alec twice in one night – this was supposed to be a fun date, damn it – but it seems he has to.

He looked up, catching Alec's blue-eyed gaze. Magnus mentally willed him not to blink, not to look away. He willed him to look deep into Magnus's eyes, to get lost in them and never want to be found. Alec started to lean forward, and Magnus had to catch his shoulders to keep him from falling. Alec's face took on a dreamy look, and that is when Magnus knew his Enchantment had worked. Enchantment is very powerful mer-person magic. Magnus had often bragged, to Clary and anyone else who would listen, that his Enchantment was very strong, maybe one of the strongest in the kingdom. It had always made him feel very proud. All he was feeling now, however, was shame and guilt at having to do this to his _cymar_, which was also very powerful magic. But it was the only way to keep him safe, at least for now.

"You need to listen carefully," Magnus said in a lulling voice. "I never left. You should get that silly thought out of your head. I would never leave on a first date." He added a light laugh at the end to make things more believable.

Alec seemed to accept the Enchantment. He shook himself awake and smiled at Magnus, making Magnus's heart clench. But Magnus smiled back, took the thing called cotton candy being offered to him, and bit off a piece. It had a soft texture to it, and it tasted sweet. Magnus wondered if that was why it was given such a name. But while he was busy wondering this, the candy disappeared from his tongue, leaving behind only the taste and stickiness on Magnus's lips. He blinked, and looked to Alec for guidance. "It's gone," he said. "Did it melt?"

Alec chuckled. "Yeah. It does that." He took a bite of his as they continued to walk through the crowd, which was beginning to thin a bit due to the late hour. As they walked, Magnus looked around, keeping watch for either of three things: Clary, Sebastian the Endarkened, and one of those hoodlums in costumes that insist on jumping out from behind booths at people. He was also having a discussion with his date, albeit a distracted one. Alec did not seem to mind though; he simply went along with whatever Magnus did. Magnus got the impression that he had never been on one of these "dates" before. Not that that was a bad thing, of course, because Magnus was in the same water. They could experience this new thing together, and Magnus liked that.

At this thought, a glint in the somewhat darkness caught Magnus's eye. He turned to see his conch shell being tucked into Alec's shirt sheepishly. Magnus decided to pay this no mind – if he didn't want to tell Magnus about it (even though Magnus already knew all about it and more) that was his decision. And Magnus was supposed to play a mindless mortal for the time being.

Eventually the duo reached a dead end, marked only by a massive contraption with a sign that read _The Greater Demon_. It was totally dark on this side of the park, the only illumination being the light bulbs used for the sign. Magnus could hear harsh screaming coming from the ride, along with the rapid _click-clack _of wheels against the track as the ride went up a precipitous incline. All fell quiet as the ride slowed near the top, and then plummeted at an accelerated pace. Magnus felt his heart seize and fall with the people on the ride. He found himself clutching at Alec's hand. Alec looked from the ride to him, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Are they going to be alright?" Magnus asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the ride as it went sideways and through several loops. There was something…off about this ride, but Magnus could not put his finger on it. He did, however, pinpoint the need to get Alec out of here. His stomach churned.

Alec looked back at the ride. "Yeah. They do that for a thrill, for fun."

Magnus looked at him as though he were crazy. "_Fun_? In what universe is that _fun_? That's like playing tag with a jellyfish – which believe me; you do _not_ want to do – or-or- vacationing inside the mouth of a whale! They want a thrill? They should do that!" Magnus was out of breath by the time he was done.

Alec stared at him with wide, officially freaked-out eyes. "Right," he said finally. He looked back up at the ride, and Magnus saw his Adam's apple bob as he gulped. "Okay. Do you want to go back now?"

Magnus couldn't nod any faster if he tried. Still clutching Alec's hand as if it were his only lifeline, he led Alec back through the throng of people. He didn't slow down for anything, not even when he heard someone that vaguely sounded like Clary call his name. He did not stop until he reached the wretched thing called a "van" that he'd arrived in. Magnus leaned against it to catch his breath.

In the distance, he saw a bright red head bobbing up and down, a blond in tow, towards them. He breathed a sigh of relief. The princess was safe.

"What's wrong?" Clary asked upon arrival. Her fingers were laced with Jace's, who loomed behind her like a shadow. Magnus took a moment to ponder if that was what _he _looked like when he was protecting Clary.

Jace lifted an eyebrow at Alec, who shrugged. "Where are Isabelle and Simon?" Alec asked.

"On your left," a female voice answered. Isabelle came up behind Jace and Clary. Simon was right behind her, looking a bit green. Though it could just be Magnus's eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. "So, how was your guys' night?" Isabelle smiled at them. "We went on the Greater Demon about 3 times. It was _amazing_." She smiled up at Simon, who attempted to give one back to her, but it ended up looking like a grimace. Well, that would explain Simon's complexion. Magnus felt the same way, even if he _didn't_ go on the ride.

"I wanted to go on it," Jace said, "but Clary said she didn't want to." Magnus's eyes drifted to Clary, who sensed everyone staring at her. She shrugged, and Jace smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He turned away to say something to Isabelle and Simon. Magnus watched Clary turn her big, innocuous green eyes to him, staring up at him in adoration. Magnus found himself smiling. He looked toward Alec then, to find the other boy staring at him in the same way. Upon being caught, Alec quickly turned away, attempting to hide the blush spreading on his cheeks. A warm feeling went through Magnus at the sight. He absolutely _adored_ Alec's blush.

While the others were busy talking about all the rides they went on (and how Simon threw up twice before he and Izzy had met up with the rest of the group), Alec pulled Magnus slightly to the side. "Did you have fun?"

_You mean aside from leaving you to investigate a potential threat that did not get me anywhere at all, except possibly more danger?_ Magnus thought, but answered, "Absolutely. I have never been to an amusement park before." He smiled, which caused Alec to smile, which caused the conch to glow. Once again, Magnus had to pretend he didn't see it. Being a clueless human was hard work!

"I, uh, I'm glad." Alec answered. Then he added, "You know, Jace suggested I take you to Long John Silver's." He gave a small laugh.

Magnus tiled his head. "What's that?"

"It's a fish restaurant."

His eyes were so wide; he thought they'd pop out of his head. "It's a – a what now?"

Alec's eyebrows furrowed, as they normally did when he was confused (Magnus should know; he'd been confusing Alec all night). Magnus had grown to think of it as incredibly adorable, but could not bring himself to do so at the moment. His current train of thought was to _not _vomit on Alec's shoes. "It's a fish restaurant," Alec repeated, his voice turning up at the end in a sort of question. "You know, when they kill and cook –"

"Stop!" Magnus practically shouted, putting a hand on Alec's shoulder, both to suppress Alec's words and to (hopefully) suppress the contents of his stomach to come back up. "Please, say no more."

"Are you all right?" Alec asked. He placed a hand on Magnus's, and a feeling he couldn't quite describe suddenly overtook Magnus. It calmed his queasy stomach.

He drew in a deep breath. "Yes. But I'm afraid Clary and I have to get back."

There it was again: that disappointed look that made Alec's blue eyes loose their color; that made Magnus's heart clench so tight he thought he might die. "But," Magnus quickly remedied in order to rid Alec's beautiful face, "I would love to do this again. Can we see each other tomorrow?"

He did not think Alec's smile could grow wider if it tried.

* * *

Alec hated to walk on the beach. It reminded him too much of Max.

Max used to love the beach. They would all spend practically every day on the beach, all summer long: Max, Jace, and Izzy. They would play in the water and build sandcastles and get ice cream. It was Max's favorite part of the year. They could sometimes persuade Alec to go along, and Alec would take a blanket and a book – and sunscreen, of course – and join them on the beach. He did not like it, though – the wretched sand was hot and got in places that he did _not_ want it. But, he did it for Max.

Now, he had a reason to never go back.

Which was why he did not understand how he ended up here, on the beach, once again. Maybe it was just his thoughts leading him here, but Alec wasn't sure. It felt that something else was leading him here, something he couldn't explain.

They had taken Magnus and Clary back to Hodge's about two hours ago, and then Alec had gone to bed, but he couldn't sleep. His thoughts kept going back to the ocean, the sound of it drew him from his bed and to the window, and then somehow here he was. He was standing in the exact same place he had when all of this was new to him.

It was about nine years ago, when he and his family had just moved from New York. He had been so furious with his parents for dragging him away from his life, from everything he'd known, that he decided to run away. He did not get very far, just down to the beach. There were people sitting along the beach on blankets and under umbrellas, waiting for the sun to set. Alec decided to sit down as well, and just watch. It was a beautiful sight; the light from the sun mixed with the blue water, making it glow a mixture of purple and pink, orange and blue. It made Alec realize that this place might not be so bad.

Alec had missed the sunset now – by several hours – but that didn't mean the ocean was any less beautiful, with its dark blue, almost black hue washing up against the lighter-colored sand. Alec didn't even look in the direction of the dock he'd once sat on with his brother, seemingly forever ago, and went towards the pier. He walked slowly, as he did with Magnus on their first almost-date. Alec smiled as he thought about that night, and his smile grew as his thoughts went towards the night he just shared with Magnus. Although it was a bit odd, Alec had so much fun, just laughing and being near the other boy. Magnus had such a way that he made Alec feel heard and understood and cared for. Alec reveled in that feeling.

There was splashing a few feet away from him. This wasn't uncommon for a small beach – tourists taking late-night swims. Alec didn't really want to look over if that was the case, because the tourists were usually skinny-dipping. However, for a reason unbeknownst by him, he ended up looking over.

There was a silhouette of what was most likely a man in the water, black against the lights of the pier a couple yards down the beach. He seemed to be alone, though Alec could hear the whooping and yelling of two people. The man seemed to really be enjoying himself immensely, as though the water was his passion and he hadn't seen it in weeks. Alec watched, captivated, as the man came up out of the water, arching his back and throwing back his head, his hair whipping water about him. There was a vibration against Alec's chest, and a purple glow illuminated his surroundings. Alec inwardly groaned. Of all the times for his mysterious and magical conch shell that he knew nothing about to start glowing.

Alec covered the conch with his hand, but could still see the faint glow between his fingers. He ran back up the beach, away from the water and the splashing people. He ran as fast as he could – he couldn't stop. Eventually, he collapsed against the side of a house he couldn't really identify. He leaned against it until he caught his breath.

The conch was causing him a lot of problems. The worst part was he did not know anything about it. Alec took his hand off of it when he was sure the glow could not be seen by anyone.

What was he going to do?

* * *

Magnus missed the water. He missed gliding through it effortlessly, without the bumbling around that legs entailed. Magnus felt that he could go anywhere and do anything with the water on his side. He knew Clary felt the same way. He watched her splash and play, reveling in the water that was now soaking through her skin and tail. Magnus closed his eyes. Legs were _so_ overrated. He'd forgotten how long he had been without water, but all that didn't matter now. He was back.

Clary paused her happy little playing and looked thoughtful for a moment? Magnus took notice. "What is it, Your Highness?"

She shook her head. "Did… Did you go near the roller coaster tonight?" Magnus nodded. "Magnus, there was something wrong with it. I just felt…uneasy around it."

Magnus nodded again. "I know what you mean. I think I felt it too. And…I saw Sebastian."

Clary gasped. "Did he see you?"

"I went after him. We were about to fight, but his friends talked him out of it, I guess." Magnus shrugged. "He knew he could never win against a fabulous Guard such as I." He took Clary's hand. "Now come, Princess. Let's do what we were born to. Swim!"

He dragged her down under the cool water. They dipped and turned in fluid movements, almost as though they were dancing. Their tails twisted around each other, purple against green. Magnus came up out of the water, the emergence leaving him exhilarated. He tipped his head back, reveling in the feeling of being in the water again.

Something glowing caught his eye and he paused. It was completely dark, and no one was around, making it easier to pinpoint where the glow was coming from. There was a dark silhouette on the beach that seemed to be watching them. Magnus froze for a moment, in fear that they might have seen Magnus and Clary's tails. Upon noticing Magnus had stopped moving, Clary followed suit, staying perfectly still. The glow that had caught Magnus's eye returned, a purple light in the darkness. Magnus instantly knew who it was. Before he could yell Alec's name, the glow was covered, and he ran off.

Clary rose up. "Do you think he saw us?"

Magnus shook his head. "I doubt it."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I doubt it."

"Magnus…"

"Are you going to tell Jace?" Magnus shot back. Clary fell quiet. "Besides, he's not ready, not yet. And we still haven't found Prince Jonathon."

"Why did he have to go and run off?" Clary whispered. "Things would be much easier. We would be able to have our _cymars _court us the way they should." She threw her arms up. "What is life?" she yelled.

Magnus stared at her. "Okay, we need to find your brother quickly. You are starting to sound like a melodramatic teenage human."

* * *

**Once again, hope it didn't suck. Shoot me a review! Love hearing from you. **

**No apologies can ever be enough. It has been months. I...am really sorry. **

**REVIEW! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, I know, it's been a while. **

**This is a very very short chapter, and I'm sorry, but something is better than nothing. **

**I changed my username. I'm having an identity crisis at the moment. **

**Don't own characters. **

* * *

Magnus awoke in Hodge's drab (in Magnus's taste, that is) guest room, feeling rested and relieved from the swim he and Clary had taken last night. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment. The plain, off-white ceiling had cracks from years of weather and a very distressing moldy spot in the corner where the walls met. Magnus yawned and sat up a little, surveying his surroundings. Light was streaming in from the window adjacent to the bed, decorated with orange floral curtains that now looked more brown than orange. The curtains matched the bedspread, which was currently in the floor, as Magnus must've kicked it off during the night. White sheets pooled around his body towards his waist as he sat up, revealing his chest and most of his legs and feet.

_Legs and feet_. When Magnus emerged from the ocean last night, his legs returned, the same color as the rest of his skin. Magnus reached down and touched a toe, wiggling them as he felt a tickling sensation. It was odd, he thought. He never got that feeling when fish swam around the fins of his tail. He barely even felt anything but the scrape of their scales against them. Humans were so sensitive.

Magnus collapsed on the bed again, his head hitting the pillow, causing it to puff up around his ears and face. He felt the sun hit his skin, and he closed his eyes, only to find a pair of blue eyes the color of the deepest ocean behind his eyelids.

He'd had so much fun with Alec last night. Magnus's memories kept referring to the moment when Alec nearly caught he and Clary in their proper forms, however. Half of him _wanted_ Alec to find them, so he wouldn't have to hide himself anymore, so maybe they could be together without any secrets, and _maybe_ Alec could help with the search for Prince Jonathon. But on the other hand, Magnus dreaded Alec's reaction to him, feared that he would turn away in disgust at what he was – especially when he finds out how Magnus was involved the night his little brother died.

Magnus swallowed thickly. He didn't want that to happen. He didn't want to lose Alec; no more than he'll have to when he goes back home, that is.

He hadn't really thought about it before – what'll happen when Magnus goes back to Alicante with Clary. Alec is Magnus's _cymar_, though; so maybe he won't actually _have_ to go back. Or maybe he could take Alec with him. But Alec isn't a merman; he wouldn't be able to survive. And Magnus has a duty to the King and Queen of Alicante, as the last of the Royal Guard. Magnus groaned loudly. So much responsibility and frustrating forbidden love!

Wait. Love? Love… No, it was way too early for such a strong emotion as that. He and Alec had barely even known each other for two weeks! Magnus knew it was only the _cymar_ magic taking effect and playing with his mind. The power of the magic is very strong, but it doesn't mean a mermaid/man necessarily _has_ to love their _cymar_. It simply gives the emotion a little push, one that Magnus doesn't need at the moment, but he much appreciates.

A short, tentative knock came from the other side of the door to his room, and Clary came in without waiting for Magnus to invite her. Magnus supposed that was in a princess's nature to have things whenever they want them, such as entry into private quarters.

She sat on the edge of the bed. Magnus didn't move. "So," she said after a short hesitation, "Jace has invited me on another one of those _dates_. He says he wants to meet me in an hour, and we will most likely get more of that ice cream." She paused, apprehending Magnus's reaction. When he said nothing, she continued. "I want to give him my conch."

At that, Magnus sat up. "Are you sure he's –"

She nodded. "And I am surprised that I have suppressed the glow for this long. But I want to give it to him."

Magnus merely shrugged. He was really in no position to judge, having given away his conch before he even _knew_ his _cymar._ "I suppose, if that is what you think is best."

Clary gave a squeal that probably woke Hodge (if he wasn't already awake), and half of the town, and threw her arms around Magnus in a tight, bone-crushing hug. He hugged her back, equally happy that she had found her _cymar_.

In their happiness for one another, they both stood, the covers falling away from Magnus, revealing his caramel-colored and slim body lit by the morning sun flooding through the windows. Clary stepped back from him, her hands clasped together tightly, her eyes cast just below Magnus's stomach. "Magnus…" she said, her tone curious more than anything. Magnus cocked his head at her in question, then looked down at himself.

_What_ was _that_?

Magnus went to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room to examine himself. Well, whatever it was, it must be a human thing. And…

"It certainly is _big_, isn't it, Your Highness?"

He glanced at Clary, who was blushing. "Indeed," she managed to say. "But, please put some clothes on. I really don't want to see it anymore. And we must continue our search for Jon today."

"Oh, right, the rescue mission. How could I forget?" he said mostly to himself as he continued to admire the image in the mirror. It seemed he couldn't look away.

The next thing he knew, he felt something soft hit his back. Clary had thrown a pillow at him. "Come on, Magnus!"

"Coming!"

* * *

When Magnus had finally gotten dressed, covering whatever _that_ appendage was, he went into the living room to find a distressed Hodge on the telephone. He had a hand in his hair, and Magnus was sure he would pull it all out if he didn't get off the phone with whoever was on the other line.

Magnus sat on the sofa next to him, accepting the sinking feeling that always came with sitting on it. He'd wanted to talk to Hodge about whatever plan they had in finding the lost Prince, but that seemed to come to a halt when Hodge practically yelled, "No, Isabelle! There is nothing wrong! They are my niece and nephew!" A pause. Magnus face-palmed, remembering the shopping trip when he'd told Isabelle that he had no relation to Hodge. Hodge sighed. "I know they look nothing alike, but - He did?" Another pause. "Well, I just… Yes, I did say that I didn't have any family…"

When Hodge took to actually _pulling_ on his hair, Magnus took the small device from his ear and put it to his own. "Isabelle?"

A crackle, and then, "Who is this? Where is Hodge?"

"Relax, Miss Isabelle, it is just Magnus. Listen, I know you have been very suspicious of Clary and myself since we arrived here, and with good reason I suppose. If you would like to really know what is going on, meet us at the small dock behind your house at the end of the beach at sunset. I know you know what I'm talking about Isabelle; it was the dock under which your little brother died. And, please, don't bring Alec." When he'd finished, he quickly pressed END CALL and gave the telephone back to Hodge, who was staring at him wide-eyed.

"How do you know what happened to Max?"

Magnus didn't look at him. "I was there."

* * *

He heard her laugh. She has always had the most perfect laugh, like tinkling bells in the summer sun. He closed his eyes, letting the laugh wash over him as he watched them from his spot in the shadows. He remembered hearing that laugh, surrounded by thick blue water and family and love.

He's been around, been looking out for her the entire time she's been here, letting her _think_ she's looking for him, when she's already found him. He's always been there for her, since she was born. How could she think he would leave her?

He misses her. He didn't think he would, in the beginning, when the darkness sunk its claws in him so deeply he eventually gave up fighting, relinquishing his scales for legs, his sea home for his land one. The land had been so beautiful, with its bright lights and tall buildings and gorgeous people. It was only supposed to be a day, but then a day turned into a week, a week to a month… Then he felt the dark pull, the shadows creeping up around him, turning his iridescent olive-green conch to solid black. He felt them calling for him, at first, when they realized he'd gone, but the darkness whispered to him, telling him the calls he heard was just in his head, they were better off without a king who couldn't follow the rules. He couldn't be king. And he, foolishly, listened to the darkness. Now, he misses her, but the darkness will not let him do anything about it. As his coronation grows nearer, the darkness within him grows stronger.

He wants her back. The pain of her absence from him is too much to bear. Isabelle helped a little with the pain, was a fantastic distraction, but there was two glaring flaws with the otherwise flawless beauty: she had a strong connection with her family, and she wasn't _her._ Sebastian rid himself of the first flaw easily enough, but the second was evident every time he looked at her. The grief over the death of her young brother drove her to end things with him, throwing the conch at him, bringing with it the pain he'd tried to suppress with her by giving the now meaningless object to her in the first place.

He felt the pain now, as he watched her with a blond man, eating at one of the local seafood restaurants on the pier. He felt a rush of pleasure when she picked up the small pinkish shrimp and popped it in her mouth, closing her eyes as she savored it. She undoubtedly does not know exactly what it is she is eating, but it gave him hope that she could join him.

That's what he wants, he realized. He wants her to join him. Then, maybe, the pain will go away.

"Sebastian," a voice at his shoulder grumbled.

Sebastian didn't turn his head to know it was Meliorn, his second-in-command. Meliorn had found Sebastian when he'd first come on land, and made sure he stayed.

"It's time to go. Seelie wishes to see you."

Sebastian hummed. "Her Majesty," he said, because that is what she liked to be called. He'd always wondered why, but didn't wonder too much. She was only just another distraction. "Hasn't she any clients tonight?"

"She does," Meliorn answered. "Which is why she wants to see you now."

He sighed, looked one last time at her, and then turned his back on her.

* * *

Later, Clary met Magnus on the beach. She ran up to him, her green eyes bright and excited under the orange setting sun. "Magnus! I had a great day! Jace and I went out for lunch, and he took me to this great place on the pier, and I don't exactly know what it was I was eating but it was _so_ good, and – "

"Yeah, I'm sure Golden Boy was lovely. Anyway, I have asked Isabelle to meet us on the small dock just around the corner, so take off your clothes and get in the water."

Clary raised her eyebrows. "Magnus, you do know that if I get in the water, I will grow a green tail. Right?"

Magnus sighed. "Yes, Your Highness, that's exactly why I've asked you to do it."

"Well, commanded is more like it," Clary mumbled.

Magnus ignored it. "I have decided to tell Isabelle about us. And before you censure me about it being hypocritical, not to mention dangerous, let me just point out that she is my _cymar's _sister, and I want her to trust us. Also, I think she might be of help, more than that Sherman fellow."

"Simon," Clary corrected, and then she sighed, thinking. "Well, she does seem to know more about the town that Simon and Hodge combined, and she does have a commendable fashion sense." Magnus nodded his head in agreement. Clary looked up at him. "You do know of the consequences."

Magnus gave a laugh. "Yes, Your Highness, I am well aware of the consequences."

"Well, then, let's tell her."

So they rid themselves of their human clothes, depositing them on the little wooden dock, and jumped into the water, effectively concealing themselves from sight. Together they watched the surface, waiting for Isabelle to keep her promise and show up.

After a while, they grew bored, and started to again play in the water, splashing and diving, whirling and plunging. They did not notice the click of heels on the dock, or the sharp intake of breath at the sight of their shimmering tails. They did, however, notice when a very shocked female voice said, "_Clary_? _Magnus_?"

Both of their heads poked out from the water to see Isabelle Lightwood standing on the dock, one hand over her mouth, the other making a fist, probably so as not to scream in shock or fear or possibly even frustration. Magnus peered up at her sheepishly. "Yeah, so we're mermaids. Well," he corrected. "I am a mer_man_."

"What, like it matters?" Isabelle snapped at him. She made a disgruntled noise in the back of her throat. "Mermaids don't _exist_! They aren't real! They were just some story Hodge told us when we were little! We stopped believing _years ago_!"

"Well, maybe that was your problem," Magnus muttered.

"And another thing! _How _did you know my brother died here?!" At this, Clary turned to Magnus, her eyebrows raised once again.

Magnus looked down, his nose accidently meeting the water. He snorted it out. "Okay, I have _a lot _of explaining to do, I see."

* * *

Isabelle stood in front of them, her arms crossed, her whole demeanor very intimidating. Magnus and Clary sat on the sofa, both their hands clasped in their lap, their eyes downcast. Simon stood in the corner of the room, looking slightly frightened. Of course, if Isabelle were Magnus's girlfriend, he'd be frightened as well.

Together, they'd Isabelle in on what was going on with Prince Jonathon and Hodge being a mermaid and Simon knowing before her (which seemed to really piss her off). They concluded with Alec and Jace not being able to know yet, and they would appreciate it if Isabelle didn't tell them. Isabelle sat quietly and listened, and when they finished, she stood.

"So that's the whole story," Isabelle said at last. "Everything."

"Well, not _everything_," Magnus corrected.

"I want _everything_," Izzy demanded.

"But I can't tell you everything. Some things are strictly forbidden to tell humans." This seemed to satisfy her, if only a little.

"Fine," she said. "And I won't tell Alec and Jace if you guys don't want me to. I know this Jon guy seems pretty important to you, and I want to help." Clary let out a breath, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes. "So," continued Isabelle. "What first?"

* * *

**REVIEW! **

**Also, if anyone has song recommendations (because I work better to new songs that I haven't heard before) let me know, because half my writers block is because I don't have anything to listen to. **

**THANK YOU!**


	9. Chapter 9

**WARNING: This chapter is utter crap. **

**Ok, no, really it's not, but I think it is kinda wonky. **

**In other news...I'M BACK WITH ANOTHER UPDATE! Thank you all for your lovely lovely lovely reviews. **

**And now, what you've all been waiting for...**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS MENTIONED! **

* * *

"I totally knew it," Isabelle was telling Simon. "I knew there was something fishy about them from the start. Pardon the pun," she added. She turned her gaze toward Simon, an unrelenting irritation behind her mostly-deadly-but-sometimes-sweet dark brown eyes. "However, you didn't deem it wise to actually _tell _me I wasn't crazy. No, you just kept your little secret without even letting on that you had one. Glad to know you trust me."

At this, Simon sighed. "No, Izzy, I do trust you. It just wasn't my secret to tell."

It had been a few hours since Clary and Magnus's big revelation to Isabelle, and now she and Simon were sitting in her room. She was on her bed looking at her phone, probably on Instagram or SnapChat or whatever else she was always talking about, and Simon was sitting on a beanbag chair that was very close to the ground, his knees drawn up to his chest (not by his choice), and staring at the clock above her bed as it ticked nearer to his curfew – not that he would ever admit that he had a curfew to anyone. It was under a mental list titled _Things to Never Tell Anyone Ever_. Also on that list was the fact that Simon sometimes chose to tune Isabelle out when she talked about…whatever it was that she talked about because Simon never really listened. He would only occasionally nod when the time felt right, and that seemed to be enough to please her. It was a shitty thing for a boyfriend to do, he knew, but he just couldn't bring himself to listen when she prattled on about fashion and hair and what her latest favorite celebrity posted on her latest favorite social media site.

She looked up from her phone, her eyes taking on their sweet persona. "It's okay, I believe you. This time."

He only hummed in response and kept his gaze on the slow and sinister second hand as it counted on methodically, inching ever closer to the twelve, marking the tenth hour of the night and his departure for his doom – and by doom he meant curfew. When eventually the hand reached the twelve, Simon blinked and shook his head. He really, _really_, needed to stop doing whatever it was that was altering his mind like that. He wasn't sure what it was… It could've been all those Bram Stoker novels he's been reading lately. Yeah, that was it. Or a good enough excuse, anyway.

Simon sighed and got up from the quicksand trap Isabelle called a beanbag chair, almost falling back in it a few times. After reclaiming his balance, he leaned over the bed, kissed Isabelle on the cheek, and went to the door.

"Wait," Izzy called behind him, "are you going to see Clary and Magnus tomorrow?"

"Probably," he answered, turning back and leaning against the doorframe. "We're going to start a town-wide search for Prince Jack, or whatever he's called. Hodge has some contacts that we can call, maybe get some information."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

Simon gave a nod and continued on his way out the door. He paused in the rather large living room and watched Alec and Jace play Halo on their rather large television. So far, Jace was kicking Alec's ass. Simon was about to go and help Alec out, maybe show him a few tips, having played the game about a million times before. Then he remembered that neither Alec nor Jace were really that friendly with him, and thus decided that he probably should just continue on his way.

He took one last look at the huge Victorian house on his way down the sidewalk. The house was a mansion compared to his house (and every house in the neighborhood, and quite possibly every house in town). When Simon had first met the Lightwoods, he'd heard rumors of their family having the most money in the whole town, and it made Simon jealous immediately. But Simon had been a kid when they moved here, so he's much more mature now, and doesn't let their fortune, or the fact that their living room was bigger than his entire apartment, get to him.

Looking up at the house now, he wondered if it was haunted. Big ominous house like that, one tends to wonder when it was built, or by whom, or if there are any demons in it. He risked a glance up at the second story, and thought he saw someone looking down at him as he walked away. Simon blinked again and shook his head. "Nope," he said aloud. "No more Bram Stoker. Ever."

As Simon walked on, he noticed that barely any lights were on in the neighborhood, and that the streetlights even looked a little dull. He pushed his glasses up and crammed his hands in his pockets, feeling his cellphone in his right pocket. _Good_, he thought, because he probably shouldn't speak aloud to himself anymore lest someone else walking by think he's crazy. _At least if I'm taken by demons, I'll have my phone to call someone. _

He didn't, however, notice the footsteps behind him, until it was too late and he was slammed into the streetlight post, making it wobble even though it was rooted in the ground. He cringed as his head hit, hoping he didn't have a concussion.

Large fists were knotted up in the collar of his favorite Star Wars t-shirt, and a face (a very handsome, chiseled face, that Simon would never admit to discerning) was snarled up inches from his. It was a boy about his age, possibly older, with the darkest eyes Simon had ever seen. They were almost black, accompanied by dark hair. Of course, everything looked dark, because it was ten o'clock at night.

Simon thought he'd seen this guy before, but couldn't place him now. That could be because of the possible concussion.

"How much do you know about her?" The guy growled out to Simon.

"Wha- who?" Simon asked, his voice slightly shaking. "Look man, if you want my wallet, I can get it for – "

"No, I don't want your money! I want to know what _you know_! How much do you know about Clarissa?" Simon blinked at him. The guy picked him up and slammed him against the pole again. "Don't play dumb with me! I have seen you with her. Do you know what she is? How she got here? How much do you know about her?"

Simon blinked again, thoughts slowly coming back to him. "Wait…do you mean Clary?"

The guy's dark eyebrows rose. Simon noted his face was now pale, or more so than it had been. "Clary," he repeated. Something had changed behind his eyes, and now they were softer. Simon was a little nervous at the amount of emotion his tone conveyed in that one word. One minute he's being all snarly and menacing, and the next he sounds like he could have tea with a kitten. "And the other one?"

"Uhm, by 'other one' I assume you mean Magnus…"

The guy shook his head. "Yes," he said softly. Then, the switch flipped again, and his cold and intimidating snarl was back. "You will tell me how much you know about them. Everything."

Simon risked a glance down to see if he could reach his cellphone, and caught a glimpse of the conch shell hanging around the guy's neck. He suppressed a gasp, instead opting for "You – you're one of the Endarkened?" The merman's grip tightened on his shirt, and Simon gulped. "Okay, okay. I never said there was anything necessarily _wrong_ with being Endarkened, just that – "

The Endarkened slammed him against the pole again. "You talk too much." He paused a moment. "So, you know what happens to a mermaid if he or she has walked on land too long. I assume you also know of Clary's royal status?" Simon managed to give a nod. The Endarkened laughed. "Doesn't she know what the consequences are for giving away too many secrets to a human?"

"I, uh, don't know."

"What _do _you know?" His face grew closer, and Simon desperately wished he could lean away from him, but the guy didn't allow that much space between Simon and the post. "I do not like to be kept waiting, human. Answer my question, and _do not _make me repeat myself _again._"

"Uh…" At this point, Simon had a choice to make. It was either his life, or spill pretty much everything Clary and Magnus had ever told him and hope for forgiveness later. Clary was a pretty compassionate person, for the most part, and it wasn't like he was telling everyone. It was just this large, Endarkened, crazy mermaid.

So, Simon told him. And he felt like a dirty rotten snitch afterwards, or like the kid on the playground you think you can trust who happened to witness you accidently push someone off the swing, and then he turns around and tells the teacher everything that happened, effectively blaming you. Simon really didn't like kids like that, and as a result he avoided other kids altogether during his childhood.

Now, he was that kid.

When he was finished, they stood there staring at each other for the longest time. The merman narrowed his eyes at him, thinking. He seemed to look Simon up and down. "So," he said at last. "They are on a search for the lost Prince Jonathon. They _have_ remembered him." Another pause, one in which he looked very pensive and might've let his guard down so that maybe Simon could escape with all his limbs intact. But then he asked, very cautiously, "Have they found their _cymars_ yet?"

Simon didn't know what that was. He might've heard them mention it once or twice, but he's never had it explained to him.

When he expressed his confusion, the merman scoffed. He thought a moment, and then explained. "They have conch shells. One is green, a most beautiful green, and one is purple. Have you seen them?" His tone was slow, as though he were talking to a toddler.

"Yes," Simon said, equally as slow so as to show his displeasure with his tone. "I mean, I haven't seen a purple one, other than the one Alec wears all the time, but Clary was wearing a green conch shell when she got here."

"And?" The merman seemed impatient. "Is she still wearing it?"

Simon furrowed his eyes. "Funny you should ask, because I think she actually gave it to Jace. I saw him wearing it, or something like it, earlier."

And then the Endarkened did something that Simon thought bizarre: he let go of Simon.

They both stood, stunned. The Endarkened's gaze was cast towards the ground, his black eyes wide and unbelieving. His lips were moving, but Simon couldn't hear anything coming out of them. He didn't know whether to run, or to just stand there, maybe even help the guy out a little bit. (Before you call him a hypocrite, let him point out that the crazy Endarkened mermaid did look like he was a bit lost, and a little pathetic.)

Wordlessly, and without even looking at Simon, the Endarkened's arm rose and pointed out, the way Simon was heading before he was attacked. Simon took that as his cue to leave.

* * *

Alec wondered the beach for the second time in a month, aimlessly kicking sand under his bare feet, his hands stuffed in his pockets. It was pretty late, but there was really nothing to do. Jace had already kicked his butt at Halo, twice, and then he'd retired to his own home for the night, after, of course, showing off his newly acquired conch shell that Clary gave him earlier that day. Alec simply rolled his eyes, not letting his best friend's uncharacteristic giddiness or the fact that his necklace looked a shocking amount like Alec's own conch bother him. When Alec went to his room without really being tired and realized he'd read all of his books, he decided to take a walk on the beach under the pretense of "nothing to do."

Really, Alec admitted to himself, he'd come out here to see if he could spot the swimmer from last night.

Alec hadn't been able to get him out of his head since he'd seen him, splashing carefree in the water. There had been something about him, something that made Alec grow all warm and fuzzy inside (and it wasn't the fact that the swimmer was nearly naked; though, that is a rather nice factor). And then there was the conch, the way it glowed at the sight of him, something it had only ever really done in Magnus's presence.

Magnus.

Alec paused mid-step; realizing that his hand had made it's way up and was now clutching at his conch shell. Was this cheating, having thoughts about another boy when he was (kind of) dating Magnus? Well, they had only been out on one official date, and who's to say it was really going anywhere?

"It's late," a voice cut into Alec's thoughts, making him jump and turn around to see the very man he'd been thinking about standing a few feet before him, his head cocked to the side like a curious puppy. At the sight of Magnus, Alec felt his conch shell give a vibration, and one quick glance down told him it was glowing, but the glow was mostly masked by his hand. "What are you doing out here by yourself? I thought you didn't like the water."

"I should ask you the same question," Alec retorted, and realizing he'd said something else, added, "And I don't hate the water. It's just… I don't know; I've never been a big fan. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy leisurely stroll along the beach every now and then." Smooth, Lightwood.

"But…it's nearly midnight," Magnus replied, taking a few more steps towards him. He threw his hands up. "Hey, who am I to judge? I'm out here, too. Same as you."

And there, the conversation relaxed into a somewhat uncomfortable silence, with Alec gripping his conch shell and dragging his toe in the sand like an awkward child. He turned his head towards the dark tidal waves washing up around his feet, having a cold feel at first, then growing warm before it was drawn away again, leaving Alec's feet sunk into the wet sand up to his ankles. He grudgingly picked his feet up again, the sand clinging to him. He made a face, and Magnus laughed.

Alec looked up when he heard the sound, a deep chuckle that left him warm inside. He smiled at Magnus, and then noticed that Magnus's hair was wet and hanging in his eyes. Alec had the strong urge to sweep it out of his eyes and around his ear.

Magnus breathed in deep, closing his eyes and tipping his head up. "It's a nice night, isn't it?" he asked. "Quiet, serene."

"Yeah," Alec agreed. It was serene, with the sound of the waves washing up around them, the wind from the ocean blowing gently, making everything seem calm and relaxed.

When Alec brought his eyes back to Magnus, he found that Magnus was closer than he had been before. Now they were nearly toe-to-toe, and Alec hoped beyond hope that Magnus couldn't hear his heart beating so wildly in his chest that he thought it might jump out and fly away. He swallowed as Magnus lifted a hand and brought it to his collarbone where Alec was nervously gripping the conch to suppress its glow. Magnus gently pried his hand away and examined the strange shell. Alec couldn't help but notice Magnus's eyes with the purple light reflecting in them, turning them an extraordinary mixture of green and gold and purple. Alec didn't know if he could tear his gaze away from them.

Magnus smiled as he fingered the shell. "Has it ever done this before?" he whispered, because the moment was too perfect to have loud voices ruin it.

"Yes," Alec breathed back. But wait, Magnus probably needed an explanation, even if Alec himself didn't have one. "It – it's battery operated."

Magnus hummed, his gaze still on the shell. He lifted it and turned it over, running a light finger over the grooves and edges. And then Magnus's eyes were on him instead, and they were staring each other down. It wasn't intense, like a staring contest; it was more like their eyes locked, and neither could bear to look away. The purple glow glinted off Magnus's eyes as he looked at Alec, making his look seem mischievous. Alec promptly got lost in this gaze that made his knees weak and his insides turn to goo.

Somehow Magnus had gotten closer, and now their noses were nearly touching. One hand had snaked around Alec's waist to the small of his back, while the other had left the conch and was now caressing Alec's cheek with a feather-light touch. Magnus was leaning closer, and Alec's eyes fluttered closed. He felt Magnus's warm breath on his face, moving up his jaw to his ear, where he whispered, "It doesn't look battery operated."

And then Magnus was gone, making his way back up the beach, leaving Alec trembling and struggling to regain his breath.

What? No. _No. _It couldn't just – it can't just _end _like that!

"Magnus!" Alec called after him, running towards him, his conch shell bouncing on his chest. But he didn't care at the moment.

Magnus stopped and turned, an expectant expression on his face. "Yes, Alexa –?"

But Magnus didn't get to finish what he was saying because Alec had run into him, their bodies colliding forcefully, and then Alec was kissing him.

It was as if a great weight had been lifted from Alec's shoulders when their lips met. At first, Magnus was still from surprise, but then kissed Alec back with equal fervor. Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus's neck, and could feel Magnus's hands digging into his hips. It all seemed so natural, as if they were puzzle pieces that finally found their match. Their lips swept and clashed together, reminding Alec of the ocean with its unpredictable tides and waves and depth. Alec felt Magnus's tongue sweep across his lips, and very willingly opened his mouth to grant him access, giving a little moan when their tongues collided. Through his closed eyes, Alec could see the bright glow of the conch shell between them, but it seemed that Magnus didn't care, so neither did he.

When the kiss ended, Magnus smiled as he leaned his forehead against Alec's, their noses touching. "You have no idea how long I've waited for that," he whispered, nearly breathless.

* * *

**MALEC! **

**You're welcome. **

**Let me know what you think! **


End file.
